Naruto Uzumaki
by Kodachi Claws
Summary: A fan-made reboot of the series. A young boy learns what it takes to be a ninja, and in doing so, discovers his incredible destiny...and perhaps, his curse.
1. Introduction

Hello there! Yes, I know. I have too many GOD DAMN Naruto fics. I really shouldn't, considering there are two more that need to be worked on, plus the fact that what's done is done, and I really should move on. Then, again, the fact that antis of all kinds are still talking about it does speak volumes of how off the whole thing is.

But enough about that. So, how is this fic going to differ from my two others? You may have noticed that many disappointed fans (specifically one sect of the fandom) have taken it upon themselves to simply do an alternate take on 699-700 (or depending on how you felt about Kaguya, before that even) and then tell a story of a certain son of Naruto who never existed but is still somehow better than Boruto. Not me though. I'm doing something entirely different. This, my friends, is an entire reboot. And if you think I'm only doing this JUST because of the shipping debacle at the end...

...well, you're not entirely far off.

BUT, after doing some thinking, and reading other people's opinions about Naruto as a whole, I've come to realize how flawed it really is, even with the enjoyment I got out of it in the past. What flaws? Eh, there's probably too many to name in a single's author note, so I think as I move further with this story, however sluggishly, I'll address them. While I am certainly not perfect, I would like to use this fic to address those flaws, and maybe not "fix" them so much as provide a different outlook on the mythos. This story will begin more or less similar as the first arc of the original, with some significant changes. After that...it will get crazier from there. While things will be different, I hope that this to many will at least capture the spirit of the original Naruto. And while my motivation for making this story are a bit biased, I sincerely hope this will be a story Naruto fans of all kinds can enjoy.

And just maybe, if I get far enough, it would be awesome if someone could illustrate this as a webcomic or doushinji. How awesome would that be!? Alas, for now this is all I have to offer you. So...enjoy!

* * *

Five Nations of Ninja. These mercenaries are the ultimate form of power in this world. Their mystical arts allow them to perform super-human feats, and pass their techniques onto their children to ensure their place in myth and legends. However, there is another power in this world: the biju, or tailed-beasts. Giant creatures with the power to destroy landscapes, nine in total. Both ninja and damiyo have long sought to control these creatures, but all attempts thus far have proven impossible. However, when one such beast threatened the Konohagakure of the Fire Empire, it vanished, along with their Hokage...

And it is from there, the origins of a new hero was born...


	2. Naruto!

_Fire. Red. Fangs. These were the only images the boy saw. And he felt fear. Along with hate. Not from him, but rather…being projected onto him, if that was possible, from the images._

 _Then, the red fur gave way to yellow eyes. "Naruto…"_

* * *

"Ahh!" A blond-haired boy with whisker marks on his cheeks and blue eyes woke up in a cold sweat as he sat straight up in his bed. "That dream again..." he muttered as he wiped his face clean. The nightmares, though infrequent, were always the same.

His name was Naruto. If he had a last name or family, he couldn't tell you. He never knew either. All he had was his one-room apartment, littered with posters of famous ninja warriors along with ninja tools and teaching manuals. For the most part, his life was pretty mundane. Hence why he hoped to become a ninja someday. Not just a ninja...but the greatest one to ever live.

Unfortunately, he had to live in the present and not his [probably unlikely] future. When he looked at his clock, he came to a horrifying realization. "OH NO!" He screamed. "I'm late for work again!" Quickly, he scrambled for work and hoped he would make it in time...

* * *

"NARUTO!" Tenchu shouted. "You're late again!"

Naruto scratched his head. "Sorry, boss!"

Tenchu was an average, middle-aged man, and the owner of a local ramen shop. "Honestly, why do I put up with you..." he muttered.

"Oh, go easy on him today, papa." his daughter, Ayame said as she prepared the ingredients. "We haven't gotten a call for deliveries yet. He may as well be on time today."

"Aw, thanks Ayame-chan." Naruto chuckled, scratching his head. Since he was 9, Naruto worked as the delivery boy for Tenchu's business. He really wasn't sure why he got the job in the first place, but Tenchu appreciated him being a regular customer whenever his stipend came in, and offered him the job. Still, he dreamed of more...

"Fine, fine." Tenchu sighed in defeat. "Why don't you go practice for now? We haven't got any calls yet-" Suddenly, the phone rang. "Hold that thought." He walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Ichiraku's Ramen Bar! How may I help you." He then made small talk as he wrote down the details. "Okay! Got it! Thank you very much!" He hung up and began cooking. "Hold on for five minutes, Naruto! We've got a delivery ready for you!"

Naruto sighed. "Sure thing, boss." _"Aw, man. The entrance exams are coming soon..."_

* * *

"Thank you very much!" Naruto bowed as he collected the cash from the customer.

Quickly, he got back on his bike to ride back to the ramen shop. He quickly pulled down his goggles as he rode down the road to keep debris out of his eyes. As he did, he looked around the village of Konohagakure; it was a lovely village, with colorful buildings and beautiful oak trees. You'd never guess that it was primarily a village for ninjas. But what got to him the most was the Hokage Mountain; the heads of the village leaders were carved into the mountain facing the village, so that enemies may not easily find their location. Naruto smiled as he observed each of them, especially the 3rd and the 4th. The 3rd was still living today, while the 4th died 12 years ago. Despite never knowing the later, he felt drawn to him. The 3rd could be something of a grump, but when he did smile, it was one of the kindest Naruto had ever known.

Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly ran into a rock in the path and flipped over, knocking himself off the bike and tumbling across the road! "OW!" Naruto yelled, rubbing his aching tush. "Well, at least I wasn't carrying a customer's food. That would've been bad!"

"Hey, look!" A rather large, ugly kid with his two friends said as they approached him. "It's Klutzomoto-san! Here to greet us with his delicious ramen!" the three laughed.

Naruto scowled, and brushed his shirt off. "Uh, no. You didn't order. And even if you did, I'd have to get back to the shop to get it. I'll make sure you get charged extra; you'll probably eat us out of business anyway."

Toru and his 2 goons (Naruto refused to think of them as his friends) were bullies that tormented Naruto regularly. Though Toru's brow twitched, he said nothing at Naruto's insult, spitting on the ground. "So, how's the training going, Nardo?"

"Hmph. It'd be a first; someone like you actually getting into the academy." one of them jibbed.

* * *

In the trees across the way, a boy sat on a branch and ate lunch. He very much preferred the silence and the solitude. "It'd be a first; someone like you actually getting into the academy." he heard an all too familiar voice say.

Turning his head, he groaned at what he saw. This wasn't an unusual oocurance. This kid normally never gave him trouble. Rather, someone else regularly troubled him, and he would be forced to step in. He told himself he should ignore it, but something tugged at him. He sighed, setting his lunch down, and deciding to see how this would play out before he had to interfere. Again.

* * *

Naruto yelped in pain as he received a hard right to the face. The bullies were on him as he was attacked on all sides. Naruto managed to fight back against Toru and punch him in the nose. He felt proud of himself for a moment, but the bully only growled. "Hold him down!" His friends pinned Naruto's arms, and the blonde boy struggled valiantly but in vain as he was thrown to the ground. "Hn. If you had actual training, you'd know how to get out of that." Toru sneered, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm going to get out of this!" Naruto yelled, kicking his legs. "And when I do, one day you'll be working for me!"

"Oh?"

"I can't wait for the day you call me 'Hokage-sama'!"

Toru just stared at him and smirked. "Oh, I see. You want to be Hokage, huh? Well, the first thing you need to learn...is how to take a hit!" Toru suddenly punched him square in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Hmm...it seems you haven't learned your lesson. Let's try again!"

Toru tried punching, but someone else jumped between him and Naruto. A kid about their age with spiky black hair and dark eyes stood between them. "U-Uchiha!?" he yelped.

Naruto looked on in shock as one of the top contenders for the academy, Sasuke Uchiha, stood before them. He was very handsome for his age, with hair dark as night and spiky like a flame. His dark eyes were rare to many, and to Naruto it made him look dangerous. "Hn. You like to act tough. It's pretty easy when your lackeys are holding your opponent down. Want to see how well you do when they're standing?"

Toru trembled. "Out of the way, Uchiha! I'm dealing with this loser, not-"

"You are now. And I'm not giving you a choice." he said coldly.

Toru clenched his fists...and suddenly kicked dirt in his eyes. Toru then tried to punch him...which only resulted in Sasuke catching the fist and punching him square in the face. "That would have been dirty..." Sasuke turned to address him. "...had that sand actually got in." Sasuke and shut his eyes at the last possible moment, the dirt only getting his eyelids.

"What are you idiots waiting for!? Get him!" Toru shouted as he held his bloody nose.

The other two bullies let Naruto go and attacked Sasuke. He ducked under one punch, kicking the attacker in the stomach. Another tried a haymaker, but Sasuke caught his wrist and flipped him into the air. Toru, flat on his ass, began trembling. "Not so fun when you're the one on your ass, now, is it?" Sasuke taunted him.

Toru said nothing, as he suddenly got up and ran, his two friends following him. "I didn't need your help, teme!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke turned to look at him. "If you say so, dobe. I can just let them hit you another 10 times, if you'd like. I doubt you'd last that long though." Naruto huffed as he smacked the dirt off of him. "Next time, when you're grabbed by the arms, grab your opponent's wrist and pull him in. You can even use the person as a shield." He demonstrated, while Naruto just snorted.

"Hmph. Whatever; I've got to get back to work." Naruto righted his bike, and rode off.

Sasuke and Naruto had a...complicated relationship. They weren't quite friends, they weren't quite enemies. They themselves didn't understand why they were so antagonistic to one another, yet somehow close.

* * *

"Naruto!" Tenchu yelled as he observed the boy, hands on his hips as if he were scolding his own son. "You look like hell! What happened!?"

Naruto was covered in cuts and dirt, and his clothes were bunched up. "Uh...I tripped over a rock?" he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Tenchu sighed. "Well, it don't matter right now. Here!" He suddenly shoved another delivery bag into his hands. "We got another order! And if you don't make it nine minutes, we'll have to give the meal away for free!"

Naruto panicked. "Uh, right away boss!" Naruto hastily fastened it to his bike, nearly spilling it several times before he took off again, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Tenchu sighed at the sight. "He got into another fight, didn't he?" Ayame asked her father as she sliced onion into another soup.

"He's too proud to admit he got beat up again. He feels like he's alone out there."

"But he's got us!" she insisted.

"You know that's not enough for a boy in his position, Ayame-chan." he said as he cracked eggs into a frying pan. "And if he knew of his legacy, and his curse...he would just shut everything away."

* * *

In another part of the village, a room was littered with practice kunai and ninjutsu books for children. However, this was not Naruto's room. For a girl's grunts were echoing throughout the room. She was trying to get into the ninja academy, just like Naruto was, and had just finished her push-ups. Finally, she leaned against her bed as she wiped the sweat off her brow. She also realized she was hungry; she called a ramen shop a few minutes ago, and they were sure taking their time! It would ruin her diet, but she didn't care at the moment.

Finally, the doorbell rang. "That must be it!" She bolted up and ran out her room.

* * *

Naruto hunched over as he tried to catch his breath; he had made it with only a minute to spare! _"I hadn't made a delivery run that fast in a while!"_

Suddenly, the door opened, and suddenly Naruto felt steam blowing from his ears as he observed the customer in front of him. It was a girl about his age, with pink hair and green eyes; it was the most beautiful sight he had seen! Her red shirt and black pants complemented her colors quite well, and he couldn't help but feel that her forehead was quite charming as well for some odd reason. "Well!?" she suddenly shouted, quickly turning irritated. "You going to hand it to me or what!?"

Naruto snapped out of his daze as he stuttered uncontrollably. "Wha-? Oh, yeah! That'll be 900 yen!" he said as he shoved it in front of him. Still not registering her foul mood, Naruto tried to begin a conversation. "So, uh...what's your name..."

"Here!" she said as she took the box and replaced it with money, slamming the door.

Naruto only looked up and stared in confusion. "My name's Naruto?"

* * *

Around late afternoon, the day had really picked up. Naruto was forced back and fourth between deliveries and helping out in the kitchen; before he knew it, Naruto was exhausted. Finally, during the final hour, the traffic went dead and everyone caught a break. Naruto moaned as he leaned against the chair. "Oh man..."

"You're not going to make the academy like that." Tenchu said as he wiped down a pan.

Naruto immediately straightened up. "I just needed a break! This is nothing!"

Tenchu chuckled. "Come on, you can make it. Looks like the final hour is going to be slow, so this shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, don't be too sure about that!" Ayame said as she eyed a customer taking a seat at the stand. Naruto's jaw dropped at the sight. It was an old man in white robes, wearing a large ceremonial hat with cloth hanging down the sides, and with the kanji for "Fire" on the front. This man was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the 3rd Hokage, leader of the village and the strongest warrior in all of Fire country. Living today.

"Hokage-sama!" Tenchu bowed along with Ayame. "Welcome back!"

"It's nice to see you too, Tenchu." He chuckled. He then turned to Naruto, who was still staring at him agape. He only smirked at the sight. "I may not mind your poor manners, Naruto. But with everyone else, you're not going too far if you forget to bow."

"YOU IDIOT!" Tenchu yelled as he smacked Naruto over the head. "Get a meal ready for the Hokage!"

"HOLD ON A MINUTE!" Naruto shouted as he clutched his skull. "He didn't even place an order yet!"

"How about the Shiyo with chicken and egg, then?" the third asked. "I haven't had a very satisfying day today, so I feel like spoiling myself a little bit tonight." he sighed.

"You heard him!" Tenchu ordered.

"R-right!" Naruto squeaked.

The three got to work on his order. Since it was a slow night tonight, it was finished in no time. "Smells delicious..." The Hokage smiled as he took his first bite. "It is!"

"We appreciate the compliments, Hokage-sama." Tenchu bowed. As the Hokage took a few more bites, the Hokage smiled at Naruto. "I hear Iruka has been giving you private lessons. Have they been going well?" Chunin, or mid-ranked ninja, of the village would often be assigned to give private lessons to a ninja academy hopefuls. Naruto had started two months ago.

"Uh...uh...yeah! They're coming along great! Just you wait! I'll impress you on the entrance exam!" he said, pumping his fist.

Hiruzen sighed. Most of the applicants' parents were ninja, and supplemented their basic training (which these days was more a formality for qualification). He didn't know how Naruto could pull this off from scratch in such little time"There's no need to push yourself. If you feel you're not ready, there's always next year..."

"Uh-uh! I'm going to be a ninja THIS YEAR, and before you know it, I'll be taking your job!" he said, pointing a finger at him.

"Naruto!" Tenchu yelled, smacking him again. "How dare you!"

The Sandaime only chuckled, waving his hand. "It's quite alright. In fact, I admire young Naruto's enthusiasm. It's important for children his age to have goals and dreams." Naruto looked at him stunned, and smiled. "The exam is this Friday. Best of luck to you." he told the boy.

Tenchu sighed, and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Go ahead and clean the rest of the dishes; then go home." Naruto nodded, and headed off into the kitchen.

When Naruto tuned the radio to his favorite station, Tenchu leaned over the counter and talked to the Sandaime as low as possible. "You sure this is okay?"

The Hokage sighed, clearly unsure himself. "It's what his parents would have wanted. I owe it to them to at least give their son a chance."

"But is it a good idea? Most of the other candidates have their parents teach them the basics. Naruto's only had a few lessons during the week." the chef asked.

"If he can't pass, I won't admit him. Simple as that." Sarutobi said plainly.

"Plus, what about...that?"

The Hokage's lips fought to stop themselves from turning into a scowl. "There is no reason to be concerned at this time., and we will not discuss it." With that, he stood up, and put his money down. "Thank you for the meal, Tenchu-san. Until next time."

As the Hokage walked away, Tenchu rubbed his head. "Damned if you do, damned if you do."

* * *

Iruka Enkai was a chunin of the Leaf Village. For the most part, he appeared to be a gentle man, save for the scar running across his nose. As with most working ninja, Iruka was dressed in a black suit, wearing a green vest over it that kept many of his tools. He kept his long hair in a pony-tail and wore the hiate (headband) of Konoha, symbolized by the spiral with the triangle pointing at 7 'o clock. He was a capable enough fighter and spy, but didn't particularly stand out from the rest of his peers. His missions were routine spying, guarding and the occasional fighting on the front lines. He was also a teacher. Usually, he simply stopped by the houses of ninja families to evaluate the students and give them some pointers. Rarely did he have to teach the basics from scratch.

Finally, he heard a familiar panting sound. "Sorry I'm late!" Naruto said, running over and panting. He hunched over as he reached his teacher.

"Stand up, Naruto!" Iruka ordered him. "If you allow your opponents to see your weakness, they'll exploit it!"

"But you're not an opponent!" Naruto exclaimed.

Iruka growled in irritation. "Let's just get on with it."

He began to warm up Naruto; the kid was good enough with his bike, but his upper body needed serious conditioning. "Alright then. Let's work on your taijutsu."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted. "Can't wait to show you my new moves!"

" _I hope by new moves, he means the moves I've shown him done right..."_ Some of the basics Naruto did fine enough. However, he began getting over confident, and began making his moves flashier and flashier. Like what was happening now, Naruto focusing on making the moves pretty rather than practical. "NARUTO! STOP THAT AND DO AS YOUR TOLD!" Iruka yelled.

"What!?" Naruto protested. "They're special attacks! I've just improved upon everything you gave me!"

"This isn't the movies, Naruto! Most of those actors don't even know proper martial arts!"

"Really?" Naruto asked. "But those interviews..."

Iruka groaned. "Okay. Let me show you..." Iruka pulled out a scroll, and released several balls and chains. Ninjas were able to use scrolls to seal tangible objects in a different dimension, and summon them back when needed. Quickly, he fastened them to his wrists and ankles.

"I-Iruka-sensei. What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"This way, you can't complain about me being faster than you." Iruka replied. "Now, try that kick you were doing." Naruto nervously got ready, and began twisting around. He took into the air to kick...and suddenly felt himself knocked down. "See?" Iruka asked.

"Ooh...how did you do that?" he groaned, rubbing his back.

"Simple: you had your back turned on me." the chunin replied.

Naruto slowly sat up. "But it was only for a second..."

"That's all it takes, Naruto." Iruka said, helping him up. "To be fair, I've seen my peers manage to do similar techniques, but they make sure to do it as quickly as possible, and usually when they're certain their opponent can't fight back and won't fight back after." Iruka felt satisfied with that lesson. "Now, shurkenjutsu!"

Naruto threw his kunai and shuriken at a bullseye propped up on a tree. None hit their mark. Iruka sighed. "Naruto, calm down."

"But I've got to hit him first!" Naruto shouted.

Iruka came up behind Naruto, clasping his shoulders. "Relax your shoulders." Naruto did so. "Now, don't frantically wave your arms and hope you hit something. Look at the target, and send your hand in that direction. Once you hit the top of your swing, let the weapon go." Naruto breathed, and did as he was told. His kunai hit the outer edge of the target circle. "Well, you at least hit the thing. Don't worry; it takes practice." Naruto sighed sadly.

"Now, let's take a look at some ninjutsu."

Naruto gulped. "B-but, I only know one..."

"Come on, Naruto. It could be your most important tool in a fight. Show me your Bushin no Jutsu."

Naruto gulped. The actual ninjutsu part of his training involved using an energy called...catra? It sounded weird. Nonetheless, Naruto put his hands together, pressing his index fingers up next to each other. He focused...and felt something happen. But it didn't feel right. "So...?"

"Uh...you want to know?"

"Give it to me straight."

Iruka sighed. "Well, the good news is that you made a bushin."

"WHAT!?" Naruto smiled excitedly. "REALLY!?" He looked to his right, and blanched. The clone was white all over, deflated like a balloon, and overall, pathetic.

"That's the gist of the bad news." Iruka sighed. Looking at his watch, Iruka dug into his pack. "Why don't we break for lunch?" he said, handing him a bento.

Naruto smiled slightly, taking the sushi. "Thanks, sensei. I'd have liked some ramen though..."

"You work in a ramen shop." Iruka groaned. "Don't you get tired of that stuff?"

"Nope. Not ever!" Naruto nodded, though his disappointment was not very apparent as he helped himself to the cucumbers. Iruka broke his chopsticks and had some of his own. "So...what is the exam like?" the ninja-hopeful asked.

Iruka swallowed one piece. "Well, first we look at your taijutsu." Okay. Naruto was okay enough at that. "Your weapons..." It needed some work, but he could polish it up a bit, especially with Iruka helping him. "...Special skills..." The transformation technique counted, didn't it? "And ninjutsu..."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

"Sorry, it's just how it is." Iruka sighed. "Look, Naruto. I know you want this badly. And I think with hard work, you can become a good ninja. Maybe even a great one." He sat his box down on a stump. "But, I think it's too soon for you to enter. You've only just started, and you don't have parents to help you." Iruka scratched his chin. "Then again, neither does Uchiha. I heard another from a civilian family is applying too..." he mumbled in thought.

"But I've gotta make it!" Naruto shouted.

Iruka sighed. "Well, you're determined, I'll give you that." He stood up. "I'll teach you the best I can. Just know, I'll still be here next year. Now, meditate for 15 minutes and we'll resume."

"Aww, meditation is bull!"

Iruka sighed. "Well, don't hold it against me if you throw up during the lesson..."

* * *

Night had fallen over the village. A few active ninjas were on night duty, patrolling the village across the rooftops. But as good as guards ninjas were, better thieves and spies they were still.

One such individual expertly maneuvered the streets and rooftops, managing to stay out of sight of the guards, covered in head to toe in midnight blue (which worked better than black) and never stayed in one place for more than a moment. Finally, his target was in his view: The Hokage's office, the building directly underneath the monument. Even without the Hokage inside, getting in would still be risky. Such an important building would of course have guards. _"It'll be worth it."_ He reminded himself. Silently, he ran up the wall and hopped onto the balcony. Tiptoeing towards the door, he pulled out his tools. Silently, he picked out the locks. Hoping no one heard the lock break, he went inside. Eyeing the desk, he noticed the scrolls, probably confidential information. He was interested, but now was not the time! He wanted something else...something that would make him more powerful, and anyone else who was in the mood to learning secret techniques. And according to his information, what he was looking for was further down the hall.

Peeking past the doorway, he chanced taking a right. He pressed himself against the wall when he spotted one of the security guards walking past him. Quickly, he ran behind him, grabbed him and silently stabbed him in the heart. He died instantly, not making a sound. Using his ninjutsu, he heated his kunai to cauterize the wound and leave no blood trail; the man would die of internal hemorrhaging within seconds still. Gently laying him down on the floor, he stuffed him into the custodian room. After a moment of going down the hall All it said was "No Trespassing." The thief smiled underneath his mask, and placed a tags with kanji saying "Melt" on the locks. The metal boiled, and the door began to fall over. Catching it, he went inside and propped the door in place.

This room was stored with scrolls of high-class techniques unique to the village. _"Excellent. Just what I was looking for."_ He pulled out a sack, and gathered as much as he could. He then saw one in particular, the ends embroidered with a fine red carving, almost like dragon scales, and ended in spirals, similar to the village's symbol. "Interesting...I wonder what you might be..."

He grabbed hold of it...and then heard the door being kicked down. In this situation, a ninja would not demand his opponent to surrender; the thief turned and hurled his shuriken. The guard parried them with his kunai, but one went off in a puff of smoke, which he used to jump over the man and escape. "THIEF!" the guard yelled. "SOUND THE ALARM!"

* * *

Mizuki leaped across the rooftops as he desperately tried to escape the village. His head start was good enough to not worry about the ninjas coming right from the Hokage Mansion; unless he was like the Yellow Flash, there was no way even the old man could catch up with him! But he didn't have time to account for a surprise attack, as kunai came flying at him from down below. Despite his initial surprise, he easily deflected them with his own. "I suggest you call it quits now!" Iruka called from below. When Mizuki landed on the building across, Iruka quickly followed him. "We'll let you live at least!" he offered.

Mizuki chuckled. "A life in a dungeon is no way to live at all! I'll just mow you down right here!" He leaped towards him, trying to stab the man, but Iruka blocked and landed a kick on him.

Mizuki twirled, landing a kick of his own across Iruka's face. Though the chunin fell over on his face, he kicked his feet back up and landed a double kick on him. Quickly, he formed two bushins next to him. He charged, but Mizuki grinned. Quickly, he made several hand signs, landing on the sign of the tiger., signified by bringing his two index fingers together, pointing straight up. _"Fire!"_ Iruka realized; in ninjutsu, the practitioner would make signs to activate their chakra, the final one signifying the type of technique. The tiger sign was used to combust the chakra, creating fire if released.

"Katon! Edan!" Mizuki blew a small stream of fire out of his mouth, destroying the two bushins, but the real Iruka managed to roll under and land a smoke bomb in front of him. Mizuki felt his eyes water, struggling to keep them open as he tried to anticipate his next move.

"HAH!" Sensing movement to his right, he leaned forward as Iruka tried to stab him. However, he managed to slightly tear open his sack. Mizuki turned and roundhouse-kicked him off the roof. _"Finally!"_ Iruka suddenly attached himself to the wall, but that brief second was all Mizuki needed to escape. The criminal leaped across the other rooftops, not realizing the scroll with the spirals was about to pop out. He jumped, and the force was enough to release the scroll...

* * *

"Come on..." Naruto concentrated, trying to make another bushin...and all he could make was a corpse like imitation of him, with deathly pale and sagging skin. The only notable difference from his previous attempts was that this one could at least stand. Naruto sighed, sitting back on the bed. _"This is hopeless. I'm never going to get it..."_ He was on the verge of tears; he wanted to be a ninja! And what was holding him back was this stupid technique! He needed a miracle...

Just then, something crashed through his bedroom window. "WHAT THE-!?" Naruto jumped onto one foot, thinking he was under attack. Seeing it was only a scroll, he slowly relaxed. Nervously, he looked out his window, wondering where it came from. "Um...hello?" No one was there. Cautiously, Naruto unraveled the scroll, reading it. His eyes widened at what he saw. _"THIS IS...!"_ Naruto looked through it; surely, it would be impossible for him if he couldn't get the basic bushin down! And yet...he was compelled to try...

* * *

"It's gone?" Hiruzen sighed, eyeing everything the thief had stole. While all the scrolls were important, none more so than the Whirlpool scroll. It contained secrets too dangerous for outsiders to learn! Not even many of the ninja in the village were trusted with it!

"We're doing our best to search for him." one of the ninja in black bowed.

Hiruzen nodded. "Keep on his trail. I have other matters to attend to at the moment." The other ninja nodded, and vanished as if teleporting. _"Even if he reads the scroll, performing the technique is nearly impossible for most ninja. It should be fine...unless HE gets his hand on it..."_ With that, he exited the room.

* * *

Morning had come. Iruka sighed as he took his seat at the desk. "Rough night?" a friend of his asked.

"You could say that." Iruka said. Night emergencies were the worst, especially when he would be conducting tests the following morning! At least coffee would help him maintain sound judgement.

"Look at them." the other one said as several children, most not even 13, lined up. "So many candidates. Most won't make it."

"If they don't, it's for their own good." Iruka sighed. Looking through the crowd, among them, he saw Naruto. Seeing him yawn, Iruka sighed. The poor kid must have been trying to do the bushin technique all night. _"This isn't going to end well."_ Oh well. He warned him. He figured he would counsel him later. Then, he saw a familiar white-robbed figure approach the grounds. "Attention!" Iruka shouted, standing up at attention. All the candidates followed suit. Naruto did too, though it took him a moment to follow through with his peers.

Hiruzen stood before all the young candidates. "Hello, and welcome to the Genin entrance exams! Today is the day we see what you are made of! Some of you...will not make it!" Naruto gulped at the blunt honesty of the Hokage. "Others shall rise to greatness! Which one will you be!? That is up to you! I see splendid warriors in each and every one of you! Is it their time to shine today!? That, is in your hands! Now, let the genin exams...begin!" He announced spreading his arms.

"Line up!" a chunin shouted. "There are 100 candidates today, so we'll be dividing you in groups of 10! Pick up a random ball in the machine here, and join your respective group!"

Naruto got in line, briefly catching a glance of pink hair in front of him. Naruto's heart raced as he recognized the girl. _"It's HER! Is...is she trying to be a ninja too!?"_

Someone then lightly bumped him from behind. "So, you're going through with it after all."

Naruto turned to see Sasuke behind him, looking quite bored. Naruto immediately tried to save face. "Hey, you better watch out!" he declared. "I've got a special technique mastered, and I'm going to use it to mop the floor with you!"

"That so?" Sasuke said dryly. "Well, good luck with that."

"Next!"

Naruto snapped back at attention, and picked a number. "Nine." Naruto went to join his group...

* * *

"Taijutsu is the most important basic skill of a shinobi!" The examiner said. "Although ninja use tools and abilities many consider super-human, when you are left with no other option, this could save your life! Now, let us see how good you are! Begin!"

Two kids would get into the ring, taking up guard stances and assault each other with punches and kicks, the examiner making sure no one got out of control or used deadly moves. Soon, it was Naruto's turn. _"Okay...I got this..."_ He then saw Toru was his sparring partner. He gave him a menacing grin, while Naruto only gulped. _"I don't got this!"_

"BEGIN!"

Naruto charged...and suddenly saw himself spinning, hitting the ground with a thud, and staring straight at the sun, which seemed to be spinning. "Oh...how pretty..." the blonde mumbled deliriously.

* * *

Sasuke squared off against his opponent. He recognized him as another bully; the thought caused Sasuke to smirk. He really HATED bullies. The examiner threw his hand down, and the boy attacked. Sasuke blocked, swept him off his feet and threw an open-palm strike to his stomach, sending him out the ring and ending the fight.

As Sasuke relaxed, satisfied with his performance, some of his peers shouted their approval. Well, more like fan girls; Sasuke was barely in puberty, but was already considered a chick magnet. "Did you see that!?" one asked as she brought her hands close.

"I know! Sasuke-kun is so cool!" Another shouted.

A certain girl in particular looked over what happened, one with pink hair. As she observed Sasuke wipe his hair down, she practically saw sparkling lights all over him. In fact, he was the reason she was here in the first place. "Sakura! Sakura!" A friend of hers grabbed her shoulder. "You're up next." she said.

"EH!? Already!?" Sakura rushed over to the ring, hunching over to catch her breath. The examiner looked on, displeased.

"Eh, look. The freak with the giant head is going to give this a go."

Sakura looked up to see a particularly large and mean-looking girl crack her knuckles. They had quite a history. One that started out as calling her names and then eventually lead to violence. "Begin!"

Sakura didn't remember how it went down. All she felt was the punch, and the match was over. Sakura cried while her friend placed an icepack against her face. "Don't worry; you'll pass the other two no problem." she assured her. "And besides, your face is not that bad."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

Her friend did her best to fake her smile, looking at Sakura's black eye and missing tooth.

* * *

The next part of the exam involved shuriken. "Begin!"

The genin-hopefuls hurled the dangerous weapons at their targets. Most were quite proficient; this was considered the easiest for the children to accomplish. Two, however, got their attention. One hit the bulls eye perfectly with each kunai, his precision by many would have been considered impossible. "Whoa." one examiner exclaimed. "The dark haired kid is good. Better than most of us even."

"Of course he would be." his friend said, looking at the list. "It's expected of an Uchiha."

"Really!?" the other nearly shouted. "That's him!?"

"And of course...one has to be exceptionally bad as well."

The two observed a blonde kid throw all his weapons like crazy, getting more frustrated with each miss. The kids only laughed hysterically at him. Naruto growled, and kicked at the ground. "Aw, come on! I was nervous!" he shouted.

Sakura only looked on in shock. _"Wow. Someone worse than me is actually here."_ she thought.

* * *

Iruka stretched his arms as the various contestants lined up. _"I'm gonna need another cup of coffee..."_ Looking among the crowd, he saw Naruto's blond hair in the crowd. Iruka sighed; he didn't have high hopes for this kid. _"Oh well...I'll do my best to prepare him for next year..."_

Another examiner stepped forward. "Now, you will demonstrate the mystical art of ninjutsu! You may choose any type: the elements, bushins, genjutsu. I will only give you fair warning; this is not merely a show. You must demonstrate techniques with a practical application in combat! Good luck!"

Everyone demonstrated what they had. Some bowed out, having nothing to show. Some showed their ability to manipulate the elements, though most of those only demonstrated moving them.

"Next!" one examiner called. "State your name."

"Uchiha Sasuke." the black haired teen replied.

Some of the examiners looked up, then concealed their surprise with neutral faces. One scribbled his name down on a clipboard. "You may begin."

Sasuke made two hand signs: he started with the horse, bringing his thumbs and index fingers together in a reverse triangle, and ended with the tiger, signifying a fire jutsu. "Katon!" he cried as his belly expanded. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" A fire ball erupted from his mouth, as it sailed over the examiners' heads.

Everyone looked at him stunned...then broke out into thunderous applause. Naruto growled. "Stupid Uchiha, with his stupid fireballs..."

Another's face, however, was turning as red as her clothes and practically blowing steam out of her ears as she swayed and clutched her cheeks. _"Oh gosh! Not only is Sasuke-kun so handsome, he's totally awesome as well!"_

"NEXT!" Sakura eeped, noticing the examiners calling for her. Hesitantly, she stepped forward. "State your name."

"H-H...HARUNO SAKURA!" she shouted. _"Ugh, SMOOTH GOING SAKURA!"_ she scolded herself.

"Begin."

Sakura brought her fists together upside down, the seal of the boar and then placed an open palm over her fist, the sign of the dog. "Bushin no Jutsu!" Two perfect replicates of her appeared at her side. They were corporal, though; if they were touched, they'd vanish. But they were good as a distraction. The examiners wrote it down, and nodded, seemingly satisfied with her performance. She dispelled them, bowed off, and once out of sight, pumped her arm. "Yes!"

Iruka excused the previous contestant for the next. Iruka forced himself to keep a neutral expression as he prompted the next one onto the mat. "State your name."

"Uh...you know who I am..." Naruto scratched his head.

"STATE YOUR NAME!" Iruka shouted.

Everyone looked to him, laughing out loud, and causing him to look down at his shoes, chuckling in embarrassment. "Uh...I'm Naruto."

"Your last name..." another said.

"Naruto doesn't have a last name." Iruka corrected his partner. "You may begin."

Naruto made one seal. One most of the other examiners had never seen before, where Naruto held up two fingers while crossing the ones on his other hand across. Iruka's eyes widened. _"What is he..."_

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" Suddenly, a huge explosion of smoke enveloped the field. When in cleared, everyone's jaws DROPPED. Before, there was only one Naruto. Now, there were enough duplicates to line the entire field, cutting off the other groups entirely.

Even the normally expressionless Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT!?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. _"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO COMPETE AGAINST THAT!?"_

" _IMPOSSIBLE!"_ Iruka thought. _"Only jonin know the Kage Bushin...! And to make this many!"_

Naruto, seeing the look on their faces, failed to see the gravity of the situation. He began to chuckle...then it turned into a chorus of full blown laughter, the clones following his lead. "Well, whaddya think!?" they all said. "I only made a couple in the apartment...but I felt I could always do more once I started!"

Iruka's hand trembled. Then..."SEIZE HIM!" Out of nowhere, several chunin ninja appeared and apprehended each and every clone.

"Wha-What's going on!?" Naruto yelled in fright.

Another came to grab him, but he made one of his clones tackle him. "It's solid!" he cried as he destroyed it with an elbow. "He has the scroll!"

Naruto made a break for it, but several shuriken landed in front of his feet, forcing him to a halt. Someone grabbed his wrist, and locked up his arm as his head was pressed towards the ground. With a slight twist, the pain broke Naruto's concentration and caused him to dispel the clones. "Iruka, give me the boy's address!"

Iruka stood up and shouted "Now hold on here! There must be some kind of mistake...!"

"He knows the Kage Bushin! There is only one source to learning the technique..." he turned to another ninja. "Search the boy's residence!"

"Yes sir!" he saluted before disappearing.

* * *

The door to Naruto's apartment was kicked down as several ninja rushed in. They didn't have to look long; they found the whirlpool scroll rolled out on his bed. Knowing it was forbidden for him to look, he rolled it up and held it up. "GOT IT!"

* * *

Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the official report, and the evidence on his desk. _"How could it come to this?"_ he massaged his temple, disheartened with what he saw.

In a moment, the door was opened, two ninja dragging Naruto in handcuffs before him. "Was it something I said!?" Naruto asked, scared out of his mind. "Whatever it is, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" The ninja said nothing as they forced him down in the seat in front of the Hokage.

Giving a sullen look, he ordered the two jonin "Leave us. Everything will be fine." They bowed, and closed the door to his office.

Confident they were alone, Naruto burst out his pent-up anger. "WHAT GIVES, YA OLD GEEZER!? I SAY I WANT YOUR JOB, YOU SAY GO FOR IT, AND NOW YOU ARREST ME!? WHAT IS THIS, YOU AFRAID THAT I'LL BE BETTER THAN YOU!?"

Hiruzen sighed, as he rose from his chair. "Do you know what this is, boy?" he asked, taping the scroll.

"It's a scroll. Any idiot can see that."

Hiruzen said nothing at his remark. "And what did you see?"

"It's a manual. For the Kage Bushin technique."

Hiruzen nodded. "And you realize Kage Bushin, the ability to make solid duplicates of yourself, is a high-class technique only our most advanced and trusted ninja have learned?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. "You mean...I'M THAT GOOD!?" His eyes were practically sparkling as stars surrounded him.

"THIS ISN'T A PRIVATE CONGRATULATIONS!" Hiruzen snapped, shutting Naruto up. "The Kage Bushin is a technique only the Hokage can pass on to those whom he deems worthy!" Hiruzen sat back in his chair, poking at the scroll. "The other night, a thief broke in and took it. Then, we see you able to use it's contents. Now, how did you get this!?"

Naruto stuttered. "Uh...it flew through my window. No one came to pick it up. Once I read it...I thought it could help. With the entrance exam."

Hiruzen sighed. "I believe you." Closing his eyes, he continued "But until we complete this investigation, I cannot allow you to go free."

"WHAT DO YOU-!?"

"Don't worry. You will be treated well; I'll see to that. Guards!" The guards entered. "Take Naruto down to the dungeons. Make sure to place a proper bed in his cell, and feed him decent food until we get to the bottom of this."

They nodded, and picked him up by the arms. "HEY HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! WE CAN DISCUSS THIS-!" he yelled, kicking his legs.

* * *

Mizuki tossed out one scroll after another, searching for that special one he picked up. _"Where is it!? I could've sworn I packed it in before I had to run..."_ When his hand suddenly went through the sack with no effort, he held it up, seeing the hole. "Shit!" he hissed. A shuriken must have ripped it open and sent it falling out! All the scrolls he collected were valuable...but that one could have very well led him to retirement! There was no way he could leave it behind now! Mizuki knew they would be ready for him this time, they probably even found the scroll... _"Well..."_ He took a vial of a blue liquid from a pouch. _"...never thought I would have to use this. Never did trust that snake bastard..."_

It was untested; he didn't know if it would work. But if he wanted to get the scroll, he would have to take on several armed ninja, several of which might be more powerful than him. And this was the only way he could overcome that obstacle. He popped the core, and drank. Immediately, he fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. "HNNN!" Soon, his body enlarged to the point where his clothes ripped, and white fur began to grow on his skin...

* * *

As Hiruzen quickly filled out some paperwork, a guard creaked open the door. "Apologies, Hokage-sama. Enkai Iruka says he would like to have a word with you."

"Iruka..." Hiruzen muttered. "Isn't that Naruto's private instructor?"

"Yes sir."

Hiruzen put his pen down as he massaged his temples; he had a feeling this was not going to be an easy discussion. "Send him in."

Iruka helped himself inside, briefly bowing. "Forgive the intrusion, Hokage-sama. This may not be the time, but I saw the thief the other night for myself! Naruto didn't physically break into the mansion, and he certainly didn't hire the thief! Not while working for minimum wage!"

"I believe you, Iruka." Hiruzen sighed.

"Then why is he rotting in a jail cell!?"

"For his protection."

"Protection from what!?" Iruka shouted incredulously.

"From our enemies, both outside, and within." Hiruzen answered. "He knows a powerful technique. A number of people would have him tortured to learn it. Or influence him to their side." Hiruzen took a deep breath. "And then...he would be seen as a monster by those who know." He looked to Iruka. "We must complete the investigation first. We will find the real culprit, and I will figure out what to do with Naruto."

"You mean as much as the council will allow you."

Hiruzen sighed. "Will that be all, Iruka-san?"

Iruka reluctantly bowed. "That will be all...Hokage-sama." He helped himself outside, determined to help Naruto anyway he could.

* * *

One of the ninjas stood guard at the forest border, late at night. It seemed it would be a routine day, until he heard a growl. Turning, he brandished a kunai. It came again, from below. He prepared to attack, but a white, furry arm burst out of the tree and grabbed his face. He was pulled in, and gave out a muffled scream. A bloodied corpse fell to the bottom a second later.

* * *

" _He's here."_ Hiruzen realized, as he heard the alarm bells echo across the village. If he was being this brazen, something must have changed. Quickly, he exited his office as his guards followed after him. "Get ready, the thief is here. No doubt back for the whirlpool scroll. If he is too strong to take down, let him come here! I will deal with him myself!"

"Surely you didn't hide the scroll back where he found it!?" one of his guards asked.

Hiruzen turned and smirked at him. "Well, let's make sure he keeps thinking that."

* * *

The chunin cowered at what they saw before them. What seemed to be a humanoid white tiger approached them. The only clue to his former humanity were his ripped clothes, and the white hair atop his head. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he taunted them, beckoning them over.

The ninja fired more shuriken. While Mizuki caught a few, none were able to pierce his thick hide, and he dodged everything else with ease. Rushing forward faster than any of them were prepared for, he sliced one to ribbons with his claws. Another tried punching him, but he bit down and crushed the man's fist. With animalistic fury, he dispatched each attacker one by one leaving each in a pool of their blood to die. Eying the Hokage mansion, he smiled slightly. _"I sneaked in because I couldn't have taken on a kage...I wonder now...?"_

As he prepared to lunge forward, a familiar voice yelled "Hold it right there!" Mizuki turned to see Iruka leap into the air and ensnare him in a kusarigama. "You're not going anywhere!"

Mizuki only smirked. "Really?" He pulled, and sent Iruka off his feet, sending him towards the tiger. Mizuki kicked him down, and ran away, forgetting to unchain himself and dragging Iruka with him. Iruka, enduring the beating being dragged across the rooftops were giving him, reached into a scroll and unleashed a giant shuriken. Quickly, he threw it into the tiger-man's back, causing him to howl. "WRETCH!" Mizuki used his momentum to slam Iruka into a chimney, seemingly knocking him out.

Mizuki growled, feeling he should kill the man but did not have time to waste. Pulling the shuriken out, he brandished it as a melee weapon and continued the climb into the mansion...

* * *

Mizuki burst through the door to the secret scrolls, looking for the red one. Even with his enhanced vision, he could not find it. "Ah. I would say you lost something, but you can't lose what you never rightfully owned." Suddenly, Hiruzen materialized in front of him, his camouflage good enough to foil even his animal senses. "Splicing, right? I've seen it before. Looks like he perfected the formula." Hiruzen opened up his hand, a thick red stick dropping into his hand. "Unfortunately for you, it won't be enough to save you...from me."

Mizuki growled in frustration. "Where is it!?"

"Now, why in the world would I tell you that?" the Hokage smirked.

Mizuki snarled more. "Good thing I marked every scroll I touched!" He made his hand signs, ending with putting two fingers inside his fist, the sign of the rat, signifying a non-combative ninjutsu. His pupils then turned green.

"What's that!?" Hiruzen thought.

"Wherever you put it, I'll find it!" The jutsu in question involved him using a marker he placed on what he touched. With this, he could trace a trail to wherever the object in question went. He saw a green blob to his left, his office. It was faint, meaning it wasn't there anymore. _"Too obvious."_ He looked everywhere, going mad. He looked down...and saw a faint green dot, probably deep in the mountainside. _"There!"_ Mizuki got an explosive tag out of his pants pocket, an incendiary piece of paper that was activated through it's link to the person's chakra, and slapped it onto the floor. Quickly, it exploded, causing Hiruzen to look away as smoke filled the room. Mizuki wasted no time, using an earth jutsu to open up the exposed earth and dive underground.

"No!" Hiruzen shouted, as he looked down.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he sat on the bed. "This is being treated well!?" he huffed. The jail was carved into the mountain, where breaking out by conventional means was impossible. All he had for light was a torch, and the mattress, though appreciated, was worse than even his own bed. "Aw man..." he sighed. "...this sucks." Suddenly, he felt some small pebbles fall on his head. "Hey!" The wall behind him began to shake, causing more dust to fall. Sensing something was coming, Naruto quickly got out of the way.

Mizuki broke through, shredding the mattress the boy was on only a few minutes ago. "Hmm..." The tiger-man said. "Where is it?" He turned to see Naruto, who had backed up against the wall and was shaking his legs like crazy.

"E-easy there, kitty..." Naruto stuttered. "G-good kitty, just stay there..." he emphasized, holding up his hand.

Mizuki snarled and walked over, grabbing the boy's wrist. Inspecting his hand, he saw green all over it. "You had it..." he snarled.

He then picked up the boy, and smashed him against the wall. "Umph!"

"WHERE IS IT!?" Mizuki roared.

"Wha-? Where..."

"WHERE IS THE SCROLL!" he yelled again.

Naruto gulped. "I...I don't know. The old man took it from me..." Mizuki snarled, and not bothering to let him go, kicked down the metal door.

Other ninjas ran down the hall to rush him, but in the narrow corridors, they could not use much in the way of tactics other than charging straight at him. With a swipe of his claws, Mizuki took down every one of them until he reached the outside. Scooping him up, he jumped onto the rooftops. "Hey!" Naruto shouted, kicking and flailing his arms. "Let me go!"

"Do as he says!" Mizuki looked to see Iruka, bruised but standing, brandishing his weapons.

Mizuki smirked. "Perhaps I shouldn't!" He tightened his hold on Naruto's neck. Iruka backed away, grimacing. "Ah." Mizuki smiled. "You like this one, don't you?" He began to step away, pressing a claw against Naruto's chin. "The Hokage has done a fine job of hiding that exotic looking scroll. Tell you what; you go and get it for me, and I'll give you the kid..."

"You bastard!" Iruka shouted.

Mizuki only said "I'll be waiting for you, in that forest there!" he said, pointing to the base of the Hokage mountain. He threw down a smoke bomb, and he was gone.

"No! Naruto!" Iruka shouted, slamming his fist on the roof.

Hiruzen also arrived, saddened and what he saw. "It seems we may not have a choice..." Hiruzen growled.

* * *

Within the forest, Mizuki paced around while Naruto was tied to a tree, desperately trying to break free of the ropes. "Hey...let me go!"

"You don't understand the concept of hostages, don't you?" Mizuki sighed.

"When I get out of here, I'll..."

Mizuki suddenly rushed him, and pressed a claw against his chin. "...don't. I just might kill you anyway. If you don't want to die, shut up. It will increase your chances of living..." He removed his claw, and went back to his watch.

Naruto stared at his back, before looking down at the ground. "You're not going to win." Naruto growled. "You know that, right?" Mizuki said nothing as he continued to stare. "Cause you made the mistake of kidnapping the future Hokage!"

Mizuki growled, and turned again, extending his claws. "You..."

Naruto suddenly looked him in the eye and shouted "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

Mizuki stopped, as he saw Naruto's blue eyes turn into red eyes with slit-llike pupils. He paused; when Naruto turned back to normal, he pointed his finger at him. "I won't warn you a third time." He turned around, dropping his cold demeanor in exchange for fear, as he wiped his brow. _"What...what was that?"_

* * *

Koharu and Homura were two of Konoha's most respected elders, as shown by their white robes. Koharu was now an old woman, her gray hair tied in a traditional bun. Homura was the same age, mostly bald with sideburns similar to the Hokage, wearing small glasses to make up for his failing vision. They were once the teammates of Hiruzen when they were younger. It was said they were close, but they had grown distant when Hiruzen ascended to Hokage. That friendship in the past might have been handy in this situation as they argued with him. "It is not worth it, Hiruzen!" Homura shouted as they walked down the catacombs.

"I am the Hokage; my duty is to all the villagers, especially our civilians..."

"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement." Koharu warned him. "Just like you did..."

"DON'T. YOU. DARE." Hiruzen turned to growl at them. He walked to the safe, and performed the necessary hand signs to open it. There, the whirlpool scroll was inside. He picked it up, and stuffed it in his sleeve. "I've made preparations. Besides, if that boy dies...it will be a catastrophe..."

He then walked out of the hillside, approaching the direction of the area known as the Forest of Death, having a bird's eye view of the vast wilderness. A bunch of chunin and some jonin were there as well, awaiting his command. "He left a list of demands." one said as he approached him. "He wants the scroll. He'll know if it's a fake. And should anything happen, he'll kill the boy. He is willing to trade him over, so long as you're not the one making the trade."

"Coward." Hiruzen huffed. "Then one of you must volunteer. Is anyone here willing to risk their life for one boy?"

Iruka then approached him. "I'll do it." Hiruzen stared at him. "I have a responsibility to Naruto."

"You're injured." Hiruzen sighed. "Your parents wouldn't want you to throw your life away like this."

Iruka, slowly but strongly responded "If he dies...then my parents' sacrifice will have been for nothing..."

Hiruzen breathed deep, and handed him the scroll. "...be careful." Iruka nodded, and bowed. The next instant, he ran to the cliff side and dived off. Not a sound could be heard as he disappeared from view.

* * *

Later, Mizuki twitched his ears. From the canopy, Iruka leaped down in front of him. "Iruka-sensei!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"You again?" Mizuki snickered. "Back for more?" he said as he extended his claws.

"That was not part of the deal." Iruka growled, holding the whirlpool scroll in front of him.

"Ah." Mizuki took it from him, inspecting it. Indeed, it was the real thing. "He really cares about this kid, doesn't he?" He backed away, grabbing the kid's chin. "I think I'll hold onto him."

Iruka sighed. "This is why hostage negotiations suck!" Iruka then put his fingers up. "Kai!"

Using his chakra to send a signal, the scroll suddenly exploded in Mizuki's face. Mizuki roared in rage, and stumbled when he felt his eyes sting and water; apparently the explosives were filled with peppers and mace. As he clutched his face, Iruka immediately ran to slice open Naruto's ropes. "Come on, Naruto; run!" Iruka took Naruto's hand as he took him into the trees.

Mizuki, having recovered, snarled and followed after them.

* * *

"I thought that scroll was very important!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We can always make another one; I'm sure Hokage-sama has it committed to memory!" Iruka shouted as they ran across the tree branches. Iruka had to do most of the work, Naruto being completely uncoordinated up here. "Come on! We've got to get..."

Iruka cried as he was suddenly dragged down by the ankle. He dropped Naruto, though the boy managed to grab hold of the branches. Mizuki had caught up quickly, his jaws locked on Iruka's foot. "Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried as he reached out.

Iruka only shouted "Just run!" Mizuki then dragged him down.

The two hit the forest floor, Mizuki pressing his weight against Iruka. "I'll be doing a little species reversal here; I'm going to peel off your skin, and hang it on the Hokage's window! Then...the boy..."

"I won't let you!" Iruka tried to push his paw off, but Mizuki in his current form, was just too strong.

Naruto heard it all, and turned to run. But something in him wouldn't let him. His heart sunk at seeing his mentor being tortured by someone stronger than him. And all to save him. Not even a ninja, just a ramen delivery boy! And he was dying for him! _"I've been nothing my entire life..."_ Naruto thought. His eyes squinted, bringing his hands together in the seal the scroll showed him. _"...and I refuse to let Iruka-sensei die over nothing!"_ "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

* * *

Mizuki prepared to rip off Iruka's face off, when something fell on his head. "Ow!" He turned to see Naruto, standing before him and giving him the most irritating, comical smile. "You..." Before he could slice him, he was pelted by rocks. "OW! Who dares-!?"

His eyes widened as he saw an army of Narutos standing in the trees all around him. "Heh. What do you think of us now, pussy cat!?" they all said at once.

He growled. _"He must have read the scroll! So, THIS is the secret! This must be the Kage Bushin!"_

"So, whaddya gonna do!? You can't take us all on at once!" they teased him.

Mizuki then sneered. "Is that so?" He suddenly leaped into the trees and swiped down five Narutos. The clones froze at his display of power for a second. Then, they tried dog-piling him, but he destroyed one after the other with ease. Soon, Naruto's army of him and himself was down to a mere fraction of what it was before. The remaining ones gulped. "Let's see, now..." Mizuki grinned as he jabbed his finger at each Naruto. "I'm counting...about...twelve of you. I smell three more around here somewhere." He crouched down, preparing to pounce. "Don't think those clones of yours have been doing much good for you, have they now? I think a swarm of ants would be harder to kill than you."

He pounced up further, kicking another into the tree trunk. One jumped on top of him and pulled at his whiskers. "AH!" He walked back, as another ran up and kicked him between the legs. Though Mizuki stumbled, he fought through the sharp but small pain. He looked around to see one of the clones run off. "There you are!" Clones were extensions of the real thing; the only one who would have cause to run away would be the original! He grabbed the one on his back and slammed him down on the other, dispelling both. He jumped further up, in a mad dash to capture his prey.

* * *

Naruto panicked and hyperventilated as he forced himself to run like never before. _"If only I had my bike!"_ He lost his footing, and suddenly fell to the forest floor. Thank goodness he wasn't so far up! He scrambled up as he heard Mizuki roar, getting closer. He stopped when he came up against a pegged fence about 5 meters in height. _"I heard of this! This must be the Chunin Exam Obstacle Course!"_ He looked back, getting an idea...

* * *

Another clone managed to wrap a vine around Mizuki's neck from behind. Though the tiger-man coughed, he tore through it and grabbed his head. He squeezed until the clone popped out of existence. "Finally." He panted; that was a lot of clones. _"I heard that Kage Bushins require a large amount of chakra. How could he make so many?"_ He ran forward, following the scent until he came upon the same pegged fence. "An obstacle course?" He smiled. "He's just sealed his doom!"

He crashed through the door...and felt a bucket of nails, bolts, and other tools fall down on him. "OWW!"

"HAHAHA!" Naruto from above a small construction tower laughed. "I gotcha good!" Mizuki kicked the legs of the tower, but Naruto ran off onto the upper planks. No matter, since Mizuki easily leaped up to his level. "CRAP!"

Naruto hurried up as Mizuki pursued him. Naruto suddenly snapped a wire, the sensation throwing him off and causing him to trip. Kunai came flying through the spaces. However, because Naruto tripped, he was practically plastered to the floor and avoided a fatal blow. Mizuki, meanwhile, was pelted by the sharp objects. "AHH!" Naruto scrambled on all fours, severing more wires and launching more kunai. Though none landed a fatal blow, Mizuki was a [figurative] human pin-cushion. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" he yelled as he pulled the weapons off.

Naruto finally found strength in his legs to run upright and back onto the ground level. Mizuki jumped up, intending to pounce on Naruto. As Naruto ran across a flimsy surface, he jumped across to avoid the cat. Mizuki missed by a hair, and fell into a pit of spikes. "AHH!" Again, the spikes could not pierce his hide, but that didn't make him immune to the pain of sharp objects.

"Wow." Naruto commented as he looked down on him from over the edge. "Guess that's what they mean by the saying 'look before you leap'."

Mizuki jumped back up to surface level, scarring the daylights out of Naruto. He sprinted away like no tomorrow, but Mizuki had finally caught him. He pinned him to the floor, bearing his fangs. "I think it's time for us to end this, little boy! Teach me the Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

"Ugh...sorry. Heard tigers are stupid." Naruto coughed. "Don't think you have the mental capacity for it."

"Boys that don't blink in the face of danger are even dumber." Mizuki growled as he extended his claws. "I'll rip your skin if you don't."

Naruto smirked. "Do it."

Enraged, Mizuki did so...and he disappeared. "Another bushin!?"

"AHHH!" The real Naruto hung for dear life as he finally got the swinging spike log from above to move. However, he forgot to let go, and went along for the ride. The spiked end hit Mizuki hard, and sent him flying into a weapon shack on the other side. "SOMEONE GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY THING!" he cried as he continued swinging back and fourth.

Finally, he began to slow down, and he took a chance and touched down. "Whew..." Naruto panted, hunching on his knees as he caught his breath. He then began to chuckle, which turned into full-blown laughter. "I did it! I won!" As Naruto calmed down, he said "I..."

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him clear off the ground. "Tell me." Mizuki asked, now covered in tar. "What brilliant plan do you have now?" He began to squeeze, and Naruto's face was turning blue. "Shall I just end your misery now and sever your head?"

Naruto suddenly looked at him, bearing red eyes and fangs. "What!?" A red energy erupted from Naruto's body. It was hot...and it ignited the tar on Mizuki's body. "AHHH!" Mizuki howeld in agony as his entire body was engulfed in flames. He dropped Naruto and ran all over, forgetting to roll in his panic.

Naruto watched as his vision faded, lasting long enough to see Mizuki fall down...

* * *

"Naruto...Naruto...NARUTO!"

Naruto's eyes blinked, and the vision of Iruka in front of him focused. Though he was covered in cuts and bruises, it seemed he would be fine. Plus, the sun seemed to be rising, judging by how bright it was; looked like he was out of it for a while. "I...Iruka-sensei?"

"Hey." he smiled, touching his shoulder. "You doing okay?"

Naruto huffed. "...you're alive?"

"Yes. And I guess that means by default that you are too." Iruka picked up the kid, putting him on his back.

"Where's the Tiger?" Naruto asked.

Iruka nodded towards a corner by the wall. Naruto saw a big pile of charred remains there. "I don't think he'll be causing us anymore problems." Iruka smiled. Then, he turned serious. "Naruto...do you have any idea what happened to him?"

Naruto leaned on his shoulder. "...no." He fell asleep.

Iruka sighed, and smiled. "Take it easy." he said as he began walking out of the fortress. "I'll take it from here..."

* * *

A day had passed since the incident. Naruto was taken to a new cell, much to his disappoint. Meanwhile, Hiruzen held council with his two advisers and another, one who was very important to the village's political system. Iruka gave his testimony; despite being covered in casts and bandages, he was quite lucid. After it was done, Hiruzen nodded. "I think I've heard enough."

"We should kill the boy now." the man in the shadows demanded.

"You know what would happen if we did that!" Homura protested.

"We've prepared twelve years for such an event-!"

"NO!" Hiruzen demanded. "No one will die!" Hiruzen pinched his nose, and sighed. "I've sacrificed too many...it's time I did the job I dreamed of, and helped people instead..."

"We can't contain him." Koharu said. "He knows the Kage Bushin now. We can't return him to his normal life!"

"You're right." Hiruzen said. "We can't." He then opened a drawer. "So we won't."

Seeing what was inside, Homura protested "The Yodaime ordered..."

"...the Yodaime ordered us not to FORCE him to be a ninja!" Hiruzen shut him down. "...but the least I can do for him...is to give him a choice." He then looked back to the chunin. "Iruka. I know you've endured a lot, but I feel I should ask you: would you like to accompany me for this?

Iruka smiled, and nodded. "It would be my honor, Hokage-sama." he smiled.

The two left the council room, while the man in the shadows grimaced. _"Weak as ever..."_ he thought.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he kicked his legs up in the air, lying on his mattress. He figured he could use his new technique to escape...but then he'd really be in trouble. Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He sat up, seeing the Sandaime and Iruka-sensei, clad in bandages, approach him. "Iruka-sensei!"

"Good afternoon, Naruto." Hiruzen said, kneeling down to his level. "I take it you're finding these accommodations acceptable?"

"Acceptable!?" Naruto shouted. "It's a darn jail cell! You could have dropped off some manga or a a tv in here at least!"

Iruka sighed. "Naruto..." He'd slap him across the head if he could...

"Well, it's called prison for a reason." Hiruzen shrugged. "And it's not even the worst place we have." Naruto remained silent. "Iruka told me about your use of that technique."

"Naruto grew nervous. "Yeah...well, about that..."

"You saved his life." Hiruzen interrupted. "It may have not been the most heroic, but you got the job done." He collected himself. "You were not meant to learn that technique. Not only did you learn it...you have used it on a level very few in our village's history has been able to master."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes." Hiruzen said. "I don't think it would be wise to let such a talent go to waste..."

"TALENT!?" Now that was new. Naruto, despite his bravado, never thought of himself as having any KIND of talent. Even cooking ramen took him more hard work than expected!

"...and thought it is a top-secret technique, there's nothing we can do to put the proverbial genie back in the bottle. So..."

Hiruzen nodded to Iruka, and the chunin himself kneeled. He smiled at Naruto and reached behind him. He then held up the Konoha headband in front of Naruto. The blonde could not believe his eyes, blinking, and looking back and fourth between Iruka and the hiate. "Congratulations, Naruto." Iruka smiled. "Your journey begins now."

Placing it in his hands, Naruto began to cry. "It happened...it finally happened..." he muttered as he gripped it tighter. He suddenly leaped forward, and tackled Iruka. "THANK YOU, SENSEI!"

"OW! OW! NARUTO!" Iruka shouted, the new ninja's hug sending him into a world of hurt.

Hiruzen only sighed. _"...just like his mother..."_

* * *

So, here's the first chapter of my reboot.

As you may have noticed, I changed the...academic settings of the Naruto verse. In the original, Naruto was trying to GRADUATE from the academy. Here, I've changed it so he's trying to get IN. The very beginning of the original series very much started out like Harry Potter in the sense that the kids were learning how to be like their teachers. Looking back, it would have made more sense for Naruto and friends to learn while they're still in school.

I've also gone into more detail about the hand seals. They were briefly touched upon in the very beginning, only to be forgotten about later. Rules were really never given to them. I think the only time when it was signified they even meant anything was when Sakura mistook Kakashi's One Thousand Years of Death technique for a fire jutsu (because it looked like the sign of the tiger). In this version, generally speaking, a high level-technique will require three hand signs: one to gather chakra, another to determine it's function, and a final one to determine what kind of element, if any, it will be.

Then there is Naruto himself, who in this story starts out as a delivery boy. Yeah, I bet many are making comparisons to Fry from Futurama (and I can't blame you entirely). But it has some basis; in the pilot, that was how Naruto started. Kishimoto changed it because his editor told him story wise it wasn't very good. So, since I was changing the nature of the academic aspect of Naruto's life, I thought it would make sense to have him start out this way.

I've also already introduced Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke of course takes priority, sense for better or worse, the original series became a bromance. I'm hoping to make it a bit more natural, showing that Naruto and Sasuke have known each other for a long time and giving Naruto a reason to care about him as the series goes on. Kishimoto really made the plot up as he went along (mostly from suggestions from his editor). While I haven't figured out every detail, I do have an overall plan where I want to take this story.

Another thing worth talking about is Mizuki. Mizuki is very much an expendable antagonist. Still, I find it hard to believe a seasoned chunin would go down just because of the amount of clones Naruto made. I think that would have made him a chunin by default (then again, in the original, he reached god-like status and seemingly remained a genin forever...). I thought it would be fun to amp him up a bit, and give Iruka a decent fight as well (even if he wouldn't win). From what I understand, in one of the anime fillers, Mizuki indeed does turn himself into a tiger. Granted, I haven't seen the episode (and it probably sucked balls anyway, if it's consistent with the rest of the fillers). Hopefully, it was fun for you. It also helped to alter how the Kage Bushin played out. With Naruto stumbling upon it by accident and being imprisoned (and debating if they should even let him go), it created more of a conflict, and in this battle Naruto had to use his wits (a loose definition of it anyway) instead of pummeling him with numbers.

Finally, there's the matter of Kyuubi. Since this part of the original mythos was in our face the most (next to NaruSasu anyway), you probably have a very good idea about what's up. For now, I'm keeping Naruto's jinchuriki status a mystery. Granted, I suppose most of you will roll your eyes at how long I'll drag it out since fans have known since the beginning...but I'm hoping it will lead to interesting developments.

You may also notice that Naruto has no surname...at least, not yet...and that the scroll he learned his signature technique from is called the Whirlpool scroll. All I'll say is that it's a pretty strong clue to his true heritage.

And that's all for now. Whenever I get to the next chapter, I'll get to it. Expect more changes to come.


	3. The Prodigy, The Flower and the Elite

Hello again everyone! This chapter got done sooner than expected, so I thought I'd give it to you! As I said last chapter, this will more closely follow the beginning of Naruto than the previous chapter, but I'd like to think I've made enough changes to keep it interesting. We'll go over them once we're through, so here we go!

Also, if you want me to answer your questions, it's easier for me if you'll do a signed review. To answer the questions I did get:

1) You have to ENTER into the academy in order to become a genin, like Naruto did last chapter. When you're promoted to chunin, you can choose to continue your studies to become a jonin, but in this universe that is very difficult to do (think of it as a PhD in ninjutsu)

2) Trust me when I say I will be changing Sakura for the better; that's one of the things that went wrong with the original (all the females, really). She'll start off like she did in canon, but she will gradually be going through changes

3) Of course we'll have medical ninjas!

* * *

 _Naruto was once a simple ramen delivery boy. Everyone either ignored him, or picked on him. No one expected him to amount to anything. Now, it was different. He was going to begin his dream of becoming a ninja of Konohagakure. Soon, he would have the title of Hokage, the village's leader! At least, that's what he keeps telling everyone. But he has a long way to go. And he will discover his greatest challenge may not be whatever enemies he will eventually face…it may be what will become his closest allies…_

* * *

"Come on! Take the photo!" Naruto insisted, sitting on the stool.

The cameraman only looked on in exasperation. "This isn't exactly appropriate for an academy photo…"

"It's cooler this way! Now come on!" Naruto insisted, waving for him to take the photo already.

The photographer sighed. _"I hope this doesn't raise the Sandaime's blood pressure too much…"_ He ducked under the blanket, and finally took the photo.

* * *

An hour later, Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the new ID card. "You make it into the academy by mere luck, and THIS IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE FOR YOUR SCHOOL PHOTO!?"

"Yeah!" Naruto laughed, scratching his head. "Pretty cool, right?"

The photo showed Naruto smearing red and white make-up on his person, and grimacing like he was putting on a war-dance, or an actor in a Kabuki play. Hiruzen growled. "You're just like Jiraiya…"

"Who?"

"Not important." Hiruzen waved him off. "The point is, this is not just a photo to show off. It acknowledges you as a student of ninjutsu, one of the highest honors in our village, and you treat it like a game!" Naruto gulped. This was NOT the impression he wanted to leave…"What's done is done. In years time, hopefully you will show more respect for these sorts of things...and get a proper photo once you've grown a bit." He sighed as he put the card down.

"Now, onto more pressing manners. You are now officially a genin. Yes, you are a ninja. But you're a low ranking one." He walked towards Naruto, looking him dead in the eye. "Do you honestly think you're now qualified to just go out there in the world and throw shuriken at whatever you want?"

Naruto just stared at him, surprised he was actually intimidated by his prescence. "You mean I'm not going to do that?"

Hiruzen sighed as he walked away. "You will…in time. Depending on your progress." Hiruzen sat back down on his desk. "It's called an academy for a reason. You're here to learn."

"WHAT!?" Naruto and homework did not mix! He barely graduated the General Ed school in the village, and he got into this academy by a stroke of luck! "So…does this mean Iruka-sensei is going to teach me again?"

Hiruzen sighed. "He may oversee a few of your exams…but for the duration of your education, you will be getting a jonin instructor."

"What's a jonin?"

Hiruzen then fell out of his seat. "DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO!?" Hiruzen shouted.

"Uh…I thought I was just learning to fight…" Naruto mumbled.

Hiruzen practically slammed his head against his desk. It was common knowledge among the villagers the inner rankings of their ninja, so they assumed Naruto knew all of that going in. After a deep breath, he explained "Ninja are given ranks. Those who are in-training are called genin. They mostly do community service…"

"WHAT!?"

"…though with time they will be given more responsibilities." He continued. "Next are chunin. Standard ninja. That is what Iruka is now."

"Really?"

"Yes. He and others of his rank oversees teaching of prospective students. He has also completed assignments such as body-guard duties and general intelligence and combat missions."

"Okay…then what's a jonin?" Naruto answered.

Hiruzen smiled. "Elite ninja. Very hard to come by; they handle top-class, dangerous missions. Those who achieve that rank are often considered for the role of Hokage… However, they are also assigned to train genin to further advance the skills of the next generation."

"WOW!" Naruto beamed. "I'm getting my own special private teacher!?"

"Not just yours." Hiruzen answered. "You will be sharing him with your teammates."

Naruto blinked. "My what now?"

"Did you honestly believe you would be going into our world alone?" Hiruzen asked. "You will face many powerful enemies, stronger than you alone will ever be able to overcome. Even weak ninja can get lucky and overwhelm you. When faced with such obstacles, it's good to have friends who've got your back."

Naruto thought about it. "I guess…Did you have a team? And a jonin?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "I did. In fact, my teacher was Uzumaki Harashima." Naruto blinked. "The First Hokage." Hiruzen sighed.

"OHH."

This boy seriously needed to catch up on the village's history. "Anyway, that is the gist of what you're going to put yourself through. The rest…you'll have to figure out on your own." Hiruzen then got back to his paperwork. "You may go now. You should be meeting your teammates and instructor within a few days."

"Cool! Can you tell me who?"

Hiruzen smirked. "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

Naruto stared at the ceiling of his room. He was trying to sleep, but he couldn't help but think about his new "team." _"Who am I going to be with?"_ he thought. He didn't know a lot of the kids in the village. _"What if I'm with Toru?"_ The image gave him shivers. _"Let's not go there…"_

He thought of others. He felt neutral towards most of the ones he saw. He didn't know of any jonin, so no point in thinking about that. There were two others he could think of… _"No."_ he thought. _"There's no way they're putting me with the teme!"_ he growled. _"He…he's too good."_ And the other…. _"No way I'd get so lucky…"_ he sighed, rolling over.

* * *

In the Hokage's office, two men met. One was obviously the Hokage himself. The other, was known only to him, a jonin of the village that he had summoned. "You let him do it." A man in the shadows said.

"I didn't have much of a choice." Hiruzen sighed. "It was either this or life in prison."

"It is a conundrum." The jonin reluctantly agreed. "So, who will be his team leader?"

"Why else do you think I summoned you here?"

The man turned around, the light catching his single eye. "I refuse."

"It was in their will-"

"I'm not doing it." The man said. "The dead cannot force me to do what I don't want to."

Hiruzen sighed. "I understand. You lost a lot of people. And you do not want to let anyone else in." The jonin said nothing. "But it's time to stop looking for a good death." The Hokage said. "Time to look for a good life."

The jonin sighed. "Who else are you lumping with him?" he asked out of curiosity. Hiruzen simply tossed him a folder. The jonin took it, and observed. "Hmm…this seems like quite a mismatched team."

"I chose him for the similar reasons I want you to train Naruto." Hiruzen emphasized. "Your connection to them." The jonin placed a hand over where his left eye would be. "As for the girl…well, I feel those who are weak need strong individuals to follow after."

The jonin sighed, tossing him back the folder. "Fine. I'll test them…and then I'll flunk them. Like all the others."

"It's time to stop running." Hiruzen warned him. "You may have been right about the others…but if you pull that same crap again, I'll evaluate them myself! Either way, you're officially out of the ANBU Black Ops." The jonin said nothing as he walked away.

* * *

Today was the day! Naruto would be going to the academy to meet his new instructor, and teammates! While his mind was flooding with questions, he was trying to solve a different problem: What to wear! Naruto looked through his limited wardrobe. All he was told was to wear something fit for athletic activities and wear and tear. "There has to be something I can use…" Naruto then stumbled upon something in his closet: an orange tracksuit with a white fur collar. Naruto had almost forgotten he had it; Tenchu gave it to him as a gift. At first, Naruto thought it was pretty crummy looking. But, taking a good look at it, and feeling the material, he began to think this would be a good fit. It was bright…but maybe a little attention could go a long way…

* * *

Naruto skipped happily along as he made his way towards the academy. For some reason, no one who was not registered was allowed to even see it. When Naruto got to the destination on his map, he wondered what the big deal was upon seeing it. It was a rather plain building, orange and one story. To be honest…it was kind of disappointing. Naruto noted, however, one thing did amaze him: the other new genin packed into the courtyard. "Wow." He breathed. _"There's so many."_ He could only imagine how many there were initially just to get into the place. He also noticed almost all of them wore dark clothes. Naruto, feeling nervous, then tugged at his own. Suddenly, standing out didn't feel so good.

" **Attention!"** a voice called from the loud speakers. **"First, congratulations on making it this far! However, your entrance exams are not over yet!"** Everyone was stunned silent at the statement, as all the idle chit-chat came to a halt. Was there something they missed-? **"On your letters of admittance, you will notice a number. Two others share that same number; these other two people will be your teammates. Inside there are classrooms A, B, and C. Groups 1-3, report to A. 4-6, to B. 7-9, to C. Your jonin instructors will meet you inside."** Naruto followed everyone inside inside…. _"What did she mean not over_?" he wondered.

* * *

Naruto entered the room as instructed, and found 8 others inside. "Hm…" He then noticed a familiar girl with pink hair. In addition, she wore a red blouse with a white circle on the back, and what seemed to be black bike shorts underneath. She also had a hiate, though unlike the others, who wrapped theirs around their foreheads, she wore hers across the top of her crown, like a headress. For some reason, Naruto was appreciative of the fact that someone else besides him chose to wear colorful clothing. His base instincts overruled common sense (if he had it) and said "Hey!"

Sakura turned around, seeing Naruto waving at her. "WHA-!?" she exclaimed as she recognized the boy. "WEREN'T YOU ARRESTED!?" Sakura yelled, pointing her finger at him in shock. Everyone else looked over at Naruto, remembering that incident. Sakura covered her mouth. She didn't mean to say that out loud!

"Oh, that blew over!" Naruto chuckled, waving her off and oblivious to the looks the others were giving him. "I'm Naruto, by the way!" he smiled, introducing himself.

"Uh…Sakura. Haruno Sakura." Sakura mumbled, bowing politely. To her, this kid looked like a complete dork! He just looked so tacky in that orange suit; she wondered why his parents allowed him to dress up like that. His blond hair was an absolute mess; a shame too, since the hair itself looked pretty good. And his demeanor..! So happy! For some reason, it just irritated her! "So…weren't you a delivery boy before?"

"Well, not anymore! You're looking at the next Hokage here!" he exclaimed, jabbing his thumb towards himself.

Sakura could only sweat-drop; sure, that technique he demonstrated was impressive, but she saw his performance otherwise! "Well…good luck with that…"

The door opened again, and both Naruto and Sakura's jaws dropped. Sasuke entered, dressed in a midnight blue shirt with a red and white fan on the back, and white cargo shorts. "Oh, him." Not looking at Sakura whose eyes practically turned into hearts at the sight of the dark-haired boy, Naruto went on. "You don't want to get too close to him. He's…"

"SASUKE-KUN!" It wasn't just Sakura, but the other few girls in the room made a beeline to him. Naruto could only stare in utter shock as the girls tried to push each other down and call out his name to get his attention. Sasuke only sighed, ignoring them all completely as he took a seat on the bleachers.

"Just what are you doing here, teme?" Naruto growled as he approached him.

"I'm supposed to be here, dobe. See?" he said, holding up his ticket, Naruto's eyes widening in shock.

"WHA..!?" He looked at his ticket, and back at Sasuke's, and back at his again.

"What now!?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"This can't be!" he shouted, showing it to Sasuke's face. "We're teammates!" he yelled. Indeed, they both had the number 7.

Hearing this, the girls then looked at her tickets, but only one's face lit with joy. "YES!" Sakura jumped up. She had the number 7 as well! Quickly, she got between the two boys, giving Sasuke her best puppy-dog eyes. "…uh…" she blushed, still smiling. "…we…We're on the same team too."

Naruto's own face turned red, before grinning like an idiot. _"IT HAPPENED!"_ he thought as his heart began to beat quickly. _"WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM!"_

Then reality hit him. "My name's Sakura, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said, trying her best to grab his attention. Sasuke only looked away in irritation.

"… _Oh yeah. I still got to deal with him."_ Naruto thought.

Sakura turned away to cup her cheeks as she sighed happily, mistaking his genuine annoyance as a "too-cool for you" gesture. _"This is totally awesome! I'm on the same team with the hottest boy in town!"_ Looking at his features as he tried to ignore Naruto, her mind ran wild. _"I'm going to win his heart! We'll be the GREATEST COUPLE EVER!"_ Her mouth began to water _"And…"_ That rather inappropriate train of thought stopped when she looked back at Naruto, trying to provoke Sasuke. _"…but I'll still have to deal with HIM…"_ she groaned.

* * *

Soon, the jonin instructors arrived one by one, calling out different groups of three. Finally, "Team 7" was the last in the room. And no one was there to greet them. "Uh…what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe our instructor is running late." Sakura suggested.

So they waited…and waited…and waited some more. Thirty minutes had passed, and Naruto was pacing rapidly. Sakura stood, trying to stay alert, and all the while Sasuke just lay on one of the desks, staring at the ceiling. "Well, this waiting is killing me!" Naruto shouted. "A call or something would have been nice!" Naruto sighed, then his eyes widened. Slowly, he began to giggle.

"What?" Sakura asked, thinking her teammate may have gone insane.

"Be right back." He exited the room. After a few minutes, he came back with a bucket of water.

"And just what are you up to now?" Sakura asked disapprovingly.

"Payback for making us wait!" Taking a chair as a stepping ladder, he carefully placed the bucket on top of the ajar door. "He opens the door, he'll be all wet!"

"Yeah…I gathered as much." Sakura groaned. "This is stupid! He's going to be mad at all of us!" Inside though, she was actually giddy at the thought. Truthfully, she felt as irritated as Naruto did at their supposed instructor's tardiness and wanted some form of revenge as well. _"This prank is going to be awesome!"_ she thought.

"It will never work, dobe." Sasuke sighed. "Our instructor is a jonin. He'll sense it coming a kilometer away."

Finally, they heard footsteps down the hall. "Shh! He's coming!" Naruto whispered to them.

"Finally!" Sasuke sighed.

The door opened. "Hell-"The ninja suddenly stopped as ice-cold water poured down on him, drenching him.

"HAHAHA! GOT YA!" Naruto pointed. "That's what you get for being late!"

While Naruto was too busy gloating over his prank, Sakura and Sasuke observed their instructor. Unlike some of the other instructors, who wore the green ninja vest, this one was covered in head to toe in black Kevlar, complete with armor plating. There was also what seemed to be a black scarf tied around his neck. All ninja on active duty carried weapons like shuriken and kunai, but this one had a katana strapped to his back as well. But it was his face that caught their attention…mainly because they couldn't see most of it, as it was covered in a leather mask. Only his right eye and now wet silver hair were visible.

"I'm sorry, sensei!" Sakura cried to save face. "I told Naruto not to, but he wouldn't listen!" _"Worth it!"_ her inner voice chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry." The man said, his voice sounding disturbingly neutral, as if nothing could affect him. "Believe me, what goes around comes around…"

* * *

The jonin took them to the park, ordering them to sit on a bench. "As you may have deduced, I am supposedly your jonin instructor." He said.

"Supposedly?" Sakura asked.

"We'll get to that in a few minutes." He said. "Truthfully, I don't care much to be here. But I do have my orders. So…I believe its protocol to introduce myself. I'm Hatake Kakashi." He paused. "Most of the other instructors would tell you all about their hobbies and dreams….break the ice, as the saying goes." The three looked at him. "But I'd rather not." Kakashi said. They each looked at him, annoyed at his lack of interest. "So let's talk about you three. Make it short."

Not getting the subtext, Naruto began. "My name's Naruto! I like ramen, and before entering the academy, I worked at a ramen booth! It wasn't easy getting in-"

"Can we get to the point?" Kakashi asked, circling his hand.

Naruto huffed, feeling he had a great story to tell. "Anyway, not much else to say about me…"

"Good."

"…but I'm going to be Hokage!" he finished.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I want everyone to acknowledge me as a strong and courageous person!" Naruto smiled, adjusting his headband.

Somehow, they were able to tell Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. _"Just like his parents."_ "Hn. Well, it's certainly not a bad reason to START on the path to Hokage…" he said.

"Huh?"

"…for the rest of the journey, that's a different matter." Kakashi finished.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"If you make it, you'll see. Now you." He pointed to the girl.

Sakura began. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I…" She looked to the side at Sasuke, and began blushing. "…my goal is…" she began to giggle.

"Maybe another time." Kakashi interrupted. _"Girls."_

Sakura's face soured. _"He's such an ass!"_

"Why don't you finish?" Kakashi asked Sasuke.

Sasuke's expression didn't change, but he brought his knee and hands towards his face. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. And I don't feel any need to tell you about me; it's all irrelevant."

"That's something we can agree on."

"But there is one thing you should know; I will let nothing stand in the way of restoring my clan…and taking my revenge." All were silent at his declaration. Naruto shuddered; no wonder Sasuke rubbed him the wrong way. Sakura wanted to think this was the coolest thing, but even that crept her out for some reason.

Kakashi sighed in disappointment. _"I should have expected this…"_ "Well." Kakashi clapped his hands together. "I suppose nothing more needs to be done in this regard. Now, for your exam…."

"EXAM!?" Naruto exclaimed. Despite what he heard in the courtyard, he just couldn't believe it. "We just had one! That's why we're here!"

"Ah." Kakashi waved his finger, slightly amused. "THAT was the exam to TAKE the exam." All three of the kids' faces fell. "This won't be as easy as the one before. I am going to test how practical your skills are out in the field. And if you fail, you'll have to take the pre-exam all over again next year."

"How come we never heard of this?" Sakura asked, thinking this couldn't be real. Surely, someone would have failed and mentioned this!

"Those who take the exam, pass or fail, are sworn into silence. Otherwise, they're expelled from the academy." Kakashi explained.

"What will we be doing exactly?" Sasuke asked.

"You'll see. Come to training grounds KB at 6 am."

"That's too early!" Naruto protested, waving his hand. "I don't think I can even make breakfast during that time!"

"Oh. None of you will be having breakfast." Kakashi explained. "You'll puke otherwise." After a moment of silence, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that's all for today. See you tomorrow." He waved as he walked away. "We'll see if we'll be seeing more of each other further into the future."

* * *

Later that night, Naruto stopped by the ramen stand. He had already resigned from the job; he just came in for a meal. "Here you go." Ayame chirped, placing the bowl in front of him.

"Thanks, Ayame-chan." He took a bit of noodles, and began slurping.

"What's wrong? This is your favorite dish!" Ayame said with concern.

"It's…" Naruto stopped himself. He didn't want to flunk an exam without taking it first!

"Yeah, it's pretty nerve-racking. Nearly failed mine." Naruto spun behind him to see Iruka approach. He was still covered in bandages from the fight that day, but he was moving about okay and was smiling, cheery as ever.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey, wanna get that to go? Let's talk…in private." Naruto nodded in understanding. Little did they know, Tenchu in the back watched from the corner of his eye, smirking a little. _"I felt the same way back then."_

Once they were alone in the forest, they talked openly. "So, ready for the next big day?" Iruka asked him.

"Of course not!" Naruto shouted. "How can you be ready for something you're not warned about!?"

"That's rule number one of being a ninja." Iruka said plainly. "Expect the unexpected." Naruto sighed, looking away from him. "I know it seems cruel, to put you through this after you struggled with the first. But the first test was more to measure your eligibility. The next one was always meant to be the real test." Naruto still said nothing. Iruka sighed. "Tell you what? Finish your ramen, and I'll teach you a new technique."

"You have a secret technique!?" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Not exactly 'secret' as it is 'advanced'." Iruka clarified. "I didn't teach you this because I didn't think you were ready for this. But after seeing you pull off the Kage Bushin, I think you're ready for this."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed as he opened up his doggy bag to scarf down his dinner. "Let's get to it!"

* * *

"Okay!" Iruka said. "Tonight, I am going to teach you the art of transformation!"

"Transformation!?" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fists. "What can I transform into!? A wolf? A dragon?" he asked excitedly, imagining the possibilities. "Ooh! Maybe Gojira!" he shouted, thinking of his favorite movie monster.

Iruka groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I think those are a little bit too much for you right now." Iruka said. "The version I'm teaching you conforms to either the human body…or inanimate objects. Watch." He put his index and middle fingers up. "Normally, you would use the sign of the rat, but when you get good enough, you can just do it with this. You gather your chakra, imagine what you want to be, and imagine yourself changing into that…" Iruka closed his eyes, and with a poof of smoke, the Sandaime was in front of Naruto.

"Whoa! That's cool!" A thought then occurred to Naruto. "Hey…if you can transform into the old man…doesn't that make you as strong as him?" he asked.

"Iruka" smirked. "No." He transformed back to his natural form. "Transformation changes your shape, but it does not allow you to perform techniques you didn't learn or cannot do. It can change your strength proportionate to your new size, but your athletic abilities will not match your intended exactly, as you will both have different levels of experience. You can also transform into something sharp…" Iruka than transformed into a katana.

"No way!" Naruto ran over, and held up the sword. He ran his finger along the blade, and yelped when he felt it cut him. Putting his finger in his mouth, he dropped the sword.

"Careful!" Iruka said, transforming back. "When you transform into a sharp object, you will feel like the said object and can be used that way. Be careful not to turn into anything that endures blunt force trauma; it hurts." He groaned, remembering a particular painful memory. "Now, give it a try." He ordered.

"Uh, I don't know…" Naruto hesitated.

"Come on, Naruto. If you give up on this, I see no reason for you to go to that test." Naruto's face became more determined at his statement. Iruka nodded in satisfaction; when Naruto was pushed to give up, he only tried harder. "Transform into me." He ordered him.

Naruto made the sign of the rat, putting two fingers into his other hand, as he was told. Smoke erupted around him, and a midget, bloated up version of Iruka appeared before him. "For a first try, not bad." Iruka nodded. As Naruto released the form, Iruka asked "So, how did it feel?"

"I was changing." He said, having trouble describing it. "I felt my bones and insides shift and change, but it didn't hurt. I thought of you, but it didn't come out quite right…"

"Try again. Concentrate on every detail on me a bit harder." The next form showed Iruka tall and so lanky he was practically paper. On the third attempt, the body was correct, but his face looked as though it was melting. "You're doing great!" Iruka encouraged him, hiding his disturbance. "Try again, and this time, get the face right!" he pleaded.

"Naruto" closed his eyes, and then…and perfect replica of Iruka stood before the original. "Take a look." Iruka held out a hand mirror, and Naruto's eyes that weren't his stared in wonderment.

"Holy…I'm really you!" he exclaimed, giddily touching his new cheeks.

"This technique takes quite a bit of chakra." Iruka explained. "If you stay like that for too long, you'll wear out and change back against your will.

"Awesome!" Naruto turned back to his normal form. "How do I use this!?"

"Well, that's up to you." Iruka said. "You'll have to be creative." Looking at his watch, he said "It's after 9, Naruto. You're starting at 6 in the morning, right?"

"Hm-hmm." Naruto nodded.

"You better head to bed. Better to get in there as alert as possible." He ordered.

"Okay!"

"Good night, Naruto." Iruka said, waving.

"Iruka!" Iruka turned around, seeing Naruto having trouble saying the words. "Thanks…for everything…" he said softly, smiling slightly. Iruka smiled slightly, giving him a thumbs up.

* * *

Naruto snoozed away, ignoring the creeping dawn. His alarm went off, but Naruto shut it off. Later, his eyes opened, and he went back to sleep. However, the image burned into his brain, and he shot up. Looking at his alarm, it read 6:15! "Crap!" He rushed around, looking for the clothes he had chosen! "Perfect! The one day I choose to be tardy, is the day I depend on the most!"

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he waited in the training area. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke turned to see Sakura approach. Sasuke said nothing more, continuing his wait. Sakura was hoping he'd see how nice she tried to look; she got up extra early to apply a light amount of lipstick, eyeshade and blush. Sadly, it seemed he didn't care. Sakura moaned in disappointment.

Their trains of thought were interrupted when they heard someone screaming. Naruto sprinted over to the training area, and jumped over the gate. Once he was on the other side, he simply fell right on his face. Sakura and Sasuke could only look down on him in disbelief. "Sorry I'm late!" Naruto shouted, brushing off the dirt. "My alarm didn't go off, and-"

"Relax, dobe." Sasuke sighed. "Kakashi isn't here yet."

"He's not!?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, looking around. "Oh! Thank kami!" he breathed in relief. Relaxing, he took notice of Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" he smiled.

Sakura's brow twitched. _"Is he using a pet name on me!?"_ she thought. _"We barely even know each other!"_

"You look really nice today!" he said sincerely.

Sakura hung her head low. _"Great! The village idiot is the only one who notices me!"_ Her nose wrinkled when she smelled something. "Ew!" she cried in disgust. "Did you even brush your teeth!?"

"I was late! I didn't have time!" Naruto protested.

"Well, next time, get up on time so that you do!" Sakura turned away, frustrated. "Please let this be worth it!" she thought as she focused on Sasuke.

"So…is he coming?" Naruto asked, noticing he was running VERY late.

"He's probably got something important going on." Sasuke said. "Let's just wait; it shouldn't be much longer."

* * *

Kakashi walked up to the gate, and found the three in the field. "Ah, good morning!" he waved, much more cheery than he was yesterday.

All three looked at him like they wanted to murder him. "YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled accusingly.

"Sorry." Kakashi said, scratching his head. "I got sidetracked helping an old lady across the street." Everyone just stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You told us to come at 6." Sasuke explained. "IT'S BEEN THREE HOURS."

"She was very, very slow, and very, very fragile." he continued to explain himself. The three said nothing, refusing to believe him. "Well…" Kakashi sighed, looking at his watch. "We only have until noon, so I will explain the exam." He then pulled out two bentos from his bag. Everyone's mouths watered at the sight, having following his orders to not have breakfast before. "IF you pass, this will be your reward."

"Hey." Naruto raised his hand. "There are only two lunches." He said.

"Glad you noticed." Kakashi replied. "If you want to eat…you need to take these bells from me." He held them up. Again, there were only two.

"Wait." Sakura said. "There are three of us, but only two bells…"

"Yes." Kakashi agreed. "One of you will not be getting lunch." The three then realized something in horror: THIS was why he told them not to eat breakfast! They could feel their stomachs practically roaring at the thought. "If both bells are taken, you pass. All three of you. If not, you're barred from the academy for another year! Now, you can use any method possible to take them from me. However, whatever you do, I recommend you do it with the intent to kill me."

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled in horror. "W-w-we can't do that!"

"Of course you can't." Kakashi rolled his eye. "But you're going to have to try if you want to stand a ghost's chance of getting these from me." He reiterated, holding up the silver bells.

"ENOUGH!" Sasuke suddenly shouted. He reached into his pouches, pulling out several kunai.

"HOLEE!-"Naruto and Sakura screamed at the sight of their teammate pulling out his weapons at their instructor. He cocked his hands back, ready to throw them…

…but before he had a chance to strike, Kakashi suddenly appeared behind him, tapping the back of the boy's neck with his hand. "Now now." The jonin said. "I didn't say go." He then addressed the other two. "But, Sasuke here has the right idea. If you're going to attack, try to kill me. You literally have no other way" He separated himself from the group, and the three tensed. Finally, they jumped into the surrounding bushes, out of sight.

* * *

For two minutes, Kakashi waited, not moving from his position. Neither did the three kids. To a normal person, they would be well hidden. Of course, he could easily tell where they were. _"Okay."_ He thought. _"So far, they're not moving. That's good…"_

"Alright! Enough of this!" Kakashi turned to see Naruto face him, arms crossed. "Now it's just me and you!"

Kakashi's eye rolled back in disappointment. _"Ugh. I'm definitely going to flunk this one."_

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke observed from their hiding places. _"Idiot!"_ Sakura thought. _"Shinobi are supposed to be silent and tactful!"_ She then saw Kakashi reach into his pocket. Most likely for a blade! _"Is he going for a weapon!? I've got to warn-"_

That train of thought stopped when the item revealed was not a weapon, but a book! Kakashi brought his attention to it instead of Naruto. "Uh…I thought we were fighting?" Naruto asked, confused at what he was seeing.

"We are." Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

"Then why are you reading a book!?" Naruto shouted.

"I've been meaning to catch up on this; looks like a good time to do so."

"What!?" Naruto yelled, pulling at his hair. "NO! NOW'S NOT THE TIME!"

"Prove it." Kakashi said, still not taking his eyes off his book.

Naruto growled, and charged. He kicked high, Kakashi ducking under with ease. Naruto punched, but Kakashi easily caught it with his palm. Naruto yelled and fought wildly, now looking more like a child going through a temper tantrum than a trained martial artist. Kakashi blocked them all easily, all while not taking his eyes off his book. "You really need to calm down." He said. He briefly closed his book, putting his two index fingers together.

" _A tiger seal!"_ Sasuke realized. _"He's going to burn Naruto!?"_

However, no fire was created. Instead, after Naruto finished the arc of another kick, his back turned to Kakashi, the jonin jammed his two fingers right through Naruto's pants. While the other two turned white in disgust at the sight, Naruto's face was surprisingly neutral. Then, it became horrified when he realized just where his fingers were. Then, came the pain. His entire body suddenly felt like an exposed nerve on fire! Naruto jumped up into the air, yelling in pain and clutching his rear end. When he landed, it was outright embarrassing, planting himself on the side of his head and his butt hanging in the air. "Special Taijutsu skill!" Kakashi announced. "One Thousand Years of Death!"

"No kidding…" Naruto moaned, rubbing his butt as he struggled up. "Isn't that an illegal move!?"

"There's no such thing as illegal in a real fight." Kakashi said nonchalantly.

"Well, if you're going to pull out special skills…" Naruto huffed. He brought his hands together in the signature seal he had mastered. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" About a dozen Narutos appeared, surrounding him.

" _That's a lot of clones…"_ Sakura noted. _"…but can twelve Narutos defeat him?"_ Sakura felt her stomach practically roar, as she clutched it. "Ohh…"

Meanwhile, Sasuke was ready. _"I've a feeling they're not going to beat him…but I don't need them to!"_ Sasuke clutched his kunai. _"One way or another, he'll be distracted. Then…I'll strike!"_

"Ready or not, here we come!" the Naruto clones shouted simultaneously as they tried to dogpile him. It seemed they got him; no one even saw Kakashi move. "Got 'im!"

"Idiot!" one of the clones called.

"That's my foot!"

"I think I got him!"

"I've already been violated in the ass!" Another called. "I don't need a hand on my sack!"

While Sakura was wondering what was going on (and disgusted at the sight before her). Sasuke, however, understood what was happening. _"Could he be burrowing underground?"_ Scanning the area, he saw some bushes 10 meters away from the Narutos rustle. _"There!"_ Sasuke took off.

* * *

Sakura, seeing Sasuke run out of his hiding spot, followed after him. However, when her stomach roared again, she began to feel dizzy, and her stomach was roaring in pain. "Ohh…" She pressed her hand against a tree to support herself, as she remembered last night…

* * *

 _While her parents were chatting away, Sakura took one last bite of her Sashimi._ _ **"I've ruined my diet enough as it is…I can make it through 'till tomorrow afternoon…"**_ _"Psst!" she whispered to their Japanese Chin. "Shana! Here girl!" The little dog got up, and trotted over, devouring the rest of the food._

* * *

" _I wanted to get back on track with my diet."_ Sakura moaned. _"If I'd known this would be so strenuous…and that he would be late…I'd have had all of my dinner."_ With sheer force of will, she forced herself forward to where she saw Sasuke run off.

* * *

Kakashi popped out of the ground like a mole, some distance away from the Narutos. _"Well, that was interesting."_ He lay back in the bushes, reading again. Suddenly, shuriken came straight at him. Still not taking his eyes off his book, he caught each of him, not a drop of blood staining his fingers. "Good try." He said, tossing them away. "But you have to be clever." Sakura moaned in disappointment from behind the tree.

Suddenly, a kunai came flying in from a different direction. Kakashi caught it, but upon smelling something burning, looked up to see an explosive tag wrapped at the end. When a person channeled their chakra into it, it would burn like a fuse. Quickly, Kakashi tossed it away as the blade exploded. "Good." He noted as he looked up into a tree, Sasuke up in its canopy. "You're thinking beyond the basics. There may be hope for you yet."

Sasuke jumped down to the floor, brandishing a kunai. "ENOUGH WITH THE GAMES! SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME FOR REAL!" Sasuke ran forward, jumping up and slashing down, only to have his weapon blocked by…Kakashi's book!?

Indeed, the jonin managed to catch the kunai in between the pages. Sasuke struggled, but Kakashi held firm. "Please don't ruin my book." Kakashi said. "It's a limited edition." Sasuke growled, drawing his kunai back, the pages miraculously still intact. Sasuke shot back with a punch, which Kakashi blocked. "Hn. Not bad." Kakashi blocked an arcing kick, almost failing to see Sasuke's knee come towards his stomach. Kakashi cross-blocked, and felt himself being pushed back. "I can't even read Icha-Icha Paradise while fighting you. Most impressive." Kakashi stood straight, his demeanor turning serious. "And yet you still have no chance of getting a bell from me."

Sasuke growled. _"If I can't touch him, I have no chance-!"_

Suddenly, Sakura leaped from the bushes, hurling her own kunai at Kakashi. Without even looking, Kakashi caught them in between his fingers. "Admirable attempt. But subpar." Sakura tried not to let Kakashi's words affect her; she tried punching him, but Kakashi easily caught her wrist and using her momentum, spun her around, Sakura helpless to all but go with the flow. "Perhaps if you focused on your training more than your make up, you may have been able to scratch me." Finally, he let her go, sending her sprawling across the dirt.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Naruto leaped from behind the bushes, trying to sock Kakashi in the face. Kakashi spun, and grabbed him, throwing him into the tree. Naruto said nothing, as his body stood still while sliding down to the ground. "Ow."

"One word: Tactics." Kakashi chided him. "It cuts down on the predictability."

"Predictable!?" Naruto growled, forcing himself to stand up. "I'm just getting warmed up!" He made his Kage Bushin seal, creating another half-dozen versions of himself.

"Seems to me you're out of tricks." Kakashi quipped.

"Oh really!?"

Kakashi suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his ankles. Looking down, another Naruto clone was below him, holding his legs as the others charged. One of them aimed to punch his face; the one who caught his legs reached for his bells. _"A slight improvement…"_ Kakashi thought. _"…but still not good enough!"_

The two Narutos lunged for their targets. The attacking Naruto felt his fist hit a jaw, but the other one felt something else. _"That's unusually soft for a bell…"_ Naruto then saw in Kakashi's place was Sakura, her mouth wide open in shock at Naruto punching her hard across the jaw. And the other Naruto's hand was right on her butt! "AHH!" Naruto panicked, dispelling his clones. "W-what are you doing there!?"

"Naruto, you BAKA!" Sakura shouted, suddenly drop-kicking him across the chin, sending up to the treetops and back on the ground.

"S-sorry!" Naruto stuttered, bowing in seiza position. He was truly horrified at the thought of hitting a girl; it was worse when it turned out to be a girl he liked. "I don't know what happened!"

"The art of substitution, obviously, you jackass!" Sakura yelled, holding her swelling cheek.

"Substitution?"

"You mean you don't know!?" Sakura shouted. "Substitution is the technique of grabbing an object in your environment and replacing it in your place, quicker than the normal eye can see!"

"Oh, cool!" Naruto then looked confused. "What does that have to do with what just happened?"

"HE OBVIOUSLY USED ME, YOU BAKA!" Sakura screamed. Looking around, she realized Kakashi and Sasuke were gone. "Where'd they go?" Sakura ran off, leaving a stupefied Naruto behind.

"Hey, wait!" Naruto called, following after her.

* * *

Kakashi rolled in the air away from several kunai in all directions, sprung from a trap. "It's impressive that you got these traps up so quickly." He said as he landed. "Have you hunted before?" Sasuke said nothing as he brought his own kunai down. Kakashi blocked it, and kicked him away. Sighing, he said "I believe I have made my decision. You can stop now."

"Think again!" Sasuke yelled. He then made the hand seals for the same technique he demonstrated at his initial exam.

" _Ah."_ Kakashi noted, recognizing the jutsu but remaining calm. _"So the rumors are true."_

"Katon! Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke's cheeks expanded, and fire erupted from his mouth.

As the flame shot out, Sakura and Naruto caught up, and nearly ran right into it. "AHHH!" They ducked, feeling the heat above them. Once it simmered down, Naruto shot up and shaked his fist at Sasuke. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things!" Naruto shouted. Naruto then smelled something burning, realizing his pants were quite literally on fire. "AHH!"

Naruto got up and ran, while Sakura chased after him. "You idiot! Do you not know stop, drop and roll either!?"

Sasuke, however, paid them no heed. Instead, he looked at the path of charred remains. And he saw no body! _"Impossible! The fire's not that strong! He had to have dodged it!"_ He looked around…and saw Kakashi on the other side. "Over here!" he waved. "Most impressive fireball! But as I said, I'm done!"

"Not while I breathe!" Sasuke created his fireball again, the fire shooting towards Kakashi.

"You're not very observant of your surroundings, are you!?" Indeed, a lake was right behind the jonin. He made the sign of the bird, quickly followed by the horse, and ending on the dragon. The water behind him began to rise, and take the shape of a dragon. "Suiton! Suiryudan!"

The water shot forward at the flame, extinguishing it and heading straight for Sasuke. "What the-!?" The water hit him with the force of an elephant, sending him flying into a tree and soaking wet. He groaned as he slid back down to earth.

"Enough!" Kakashi warned him, walking forward. "You'll only hurt yourself!"

"Never!" Sasuke shot back up, but a black egg was thrown in his face. These eggs were cracked open, the shells filled with substances or objects, and glued together again to be used as a surprise weapon. Sasuke felt pepper water his eyes, and he stumbled. With sheer willpower, he opened his eyes…and saw Kakashi's hand, crackling with electricity, shooting towards him. Sasuke panicked, and froze.

The electrified hand stopped inches from his face, feeling his hair singe. "Would like to argue further?" Sasuke only remained in place. "I didn't think so." Kakashi withdrew his hand, and deactivated the deadly ninjutsu he had cast. "Wait right there. I'll put a halt to your friends and we'll go over the results." As Kakashi walked away, Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

* * *

"Ah, ah…" Naruto moaned, finally putting out the flame by dragging his butt across the dirt. Luckily for him, it seemed his suit was fireproof, but the heat on his bum was still unpleasant.

"I can't believe I'm stuck on the same team as you!" Sakura yelled in frustration. Naruto said nothing, but that comment did sting… "I'm going after him myself!" Sakura exclaimed as she turned around.

"As you wish." Sakura stopped in her tracks as she brought up her kunai, desperately trying to find the jonin. Then, her eyes rolled in the back of her head as a thud to the back of head caused her to lose consciousness, Kakashi standing over her.

Naruto rushed over to her, trying to shake her awake. "Sakura-chan!" Quickly, he turned her over and supported her. What did he do to her!? If she was hurt…

"Relax. She'll be fine in a couple minutes." Kakashi assured him.

Naruto growled, and charged at him. He attacked the jonin with a flurry of kicks and punches, but Kakashi blocked each and every one of them with ease. Suddenly, he jabbed two fingers to the side of Naruto's neck. "Ugh!" Naruto felt his body lock up with incredible pain, and he fell down face first. "Don't worry, it's just a nerve plexus strike." Kakashi said. "You will be able to move momentarily." Out of his peripherals, Naruto could see his feet walk the other way. "Once you recover, wake up the girl. I've made my decision."

* * *

The three sat on the ground as Kakashi relaxed on the stump, looking both depressed and humiliated as they faced the jonin. _"Oh gods…I'm going to have to go through all that again!"_ Sakura worried.

Naruto's fists were trembling, furious at himself. _"There's no way I could be that bad! There has got to be something to this!"_

"Well, I don't think I need to explain the results." Kakashi said, sitting down on a stump and supporting his chin with a hand. "Normally, the procedure is to send you back and give you another chance next year." The three groaned, thinking of having to wait for a whole 'nother year. "But, I decided for you three that's not appropriate." At that, the three lit up. "I've made up my mind…to bar you from the academy altogether!" At that announcement, their hearts sunk…

* * *

I think this is as good a place as any to leave off.

I've altered Kakashi slightly as a homage to Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. Since Kakashi is supposed to be a "traditional" ninja, thought it would be best to dress him up as one. I'm also giving more insight into his connection with Naruto and Sasuke, and hinting at a reason why Sakura is on the same team.

I'm also still having Iruka involved, this time actually teaching Naruto the transformation technique. Pay close attention; this is going to call back to a very….GOOD LOOKING…technique, hehe…

I've also altered how the battle went down slightly. Same result, same intent, different path more or less. If you thought this was too similar, stay tuned; the resolution will be far different from before…


	4. Team 7 is Born

Hi everybody! Hope you will all enjoy this next chapter! I'd imagine it's pretty predictable WHAT happens…the question though, is HOW. Hopefully, this will have enough surprises to make this worth your time.

* * *

"What!?" Naruto shouted in disbelief. "What did you just say!?"

"It's as I said, you're not fit to be ninja, none of you are!" Kakashi looked at each of them. "Naruto, you charged right at me! Ninja are not supposed to attack the enemy directly unless absolutely necessary! What's more, you had an excellent and versatile technique up your sleeve! And yet all you did was try to overwhelm me with numbers! Your lack of tact and desire to be the best will get you, and those close to you, killed!" He then looked to Sakura. "You have a good grasp of the basics, Sakura. Unfortunately, that's all you have! You are neither extraordinarily strong nor fast. And you are not inventive enough to change your tactics beyond what you've read! What's more, like Naruto, you are more concerned with standing out rather than helping your team!"

Sakura balked at his accusation. "What!? I-"

"When Naruto tried to dogpile me, you could have alerted him to where I really was! Instead, you followed after Sasuke, leaving him behind!" He then looked to Sasuke. "Sasuke. You are an extraordinary boy; if this was based on ability alone, I would most certainly admit you. However, you knew that I was your superior, yet you did not collaborate with your teammates and ask for help. What's more, you even put them in danger in an attempt to attack me!" Kakashi had a strong feeling what was going on with him, but kept it to himself. "The one thing you all have in common is the inability to work as a team! It is the most essential tactic for any ninja! No matter how good you may think you are, there is always someone stronger than you, and when you face the worst, there's nothing better than having allies who've got your back!"

"Well, maybe we would have picked up on that, IF YOU DIDN'T SET US UP AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!" Naruto accused him.

"Ah." Kakashi nodded, holding up his finger. "I did indeed. That's another aspect of teamwork: making sacrifices." He sighed as he began. "You all knew the real objective was to be accepted into the academy. One of you could have sacrificed one meal just to ensure you all made it. The Hokage and kages of the other shinobi nations had made similar sacrifices for their comrades during their time in active duty; that's a leading reason why many of them were chosen to lead their people. And in order to win, each of you may need to make a sacrifice!"

"Maybe we would have if you told us in the first place!" Sasuke complained.

"It's our way of weeding out the ones to whom teamwork does not come naturally." Kakashi said. "Sorry, but my decision is final." He turned, and began walking away. "Go home. In time, you'll thank me for this in the end." He waved.

Naruto balled up his fists, frustrated. _"There's got to be a way…"_ Looking at Kakashi's back, he suddenly sprinted towards him.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

As Naruto ran towards him, Kakashi turned and pointed a kunai at this throat. Both were tense for a moment. But the silver-haired ninja realized it wasn't what he thought it was as he looked into Naruto's fearless eyes. "You weren't trying to attack." He realized, holstering his kunai.

"Kakashi-sensei…I get why you're doing this." Naruto said, trying to reason with him. "But it's not fair to take this chance away from us altogether."

"It's kind of like death." Kakashi shrugged. "No second chances."

"I bet there is something YOU wanted a second chance at." Naruto said.

Kakashi's eye widened for a second. He turned away, Naruto's statements stirring something within him. Bringing up memories he had tried hard to forget, imagining an individual with spikey, black hair. _"He looks just like him…"_ he thought. _"He couldn't…"_

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, snapping him back to reality. "Please. I know we can make it if we try! Just give us one more chance!" he begged him, holding his hands together.

Kakashi breathed. He turned away again. "Follow me." He ordered them.

* * *

Kakashi took them out of the training area and into the memorial park. There, they came upon a large stone wall, seemingly infinite rows of names carved onto its surface. "You see this? You realize what this is?" he asked.

"This is the memorial for all shinobi of Konoha." Sakura answered.

"Oh, I get it! This is where all the great heroes are listed, right?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he smacked his fist into his palm. "I'll make sure to put my name down on there!" Suddenly, Sakura whacked him across the head. "OW! What was that for!?" he angrily shouted as he held his head.

"You baka!" Sakura shouted as she massaged her red knuckles. "A memorial is dedicated to people who have died!" Naruto's eyes widened and looked back at the wall. Suddenly, his heart sunk, worrying that he had just jinxed himself.

"What Sakura says is correct." Kakashi said. "This memorial is dedicated to all shinobi from this village who have given their lives in service to their home and people." His eye turned sad, as he ran his hand along the stone. "Along this long list, are also the closest friends I've ever had…Nohara Rin…and Obito."

Naruto gulped as he looked. "It's big." He noted. "The death rate is that high?"

"There are lulls. But as shinobi, we come into conflicts with people of all kinds. And in turn, they find ways to kill us." Kakashi answered gravely. "There is no way to prepare for everything. But having people who have your back…that is the best way to ensure your survival." He sighed. "Do you three now realize what you are signing up for?" Looking over his shoulder, he could see that the three slowly nodded their heads. It seemed even Naruto realized the weight of the decision they were making. "Okay then. I normally don't do this; my decisions are usually final, but this one time, I will give you all another chance. But if you screw up again, there is no amount of pleading that will get me to change my mind. Do I make myself clear?" he said.

"Please." Naruto nearly choked out. "I…no, WE can do this."

Kakashi didn't seemed convinced, but went with it. At least he was trying to be a team player. "Very well then. Let's hurry back."

* * *

Back in the training grounds, Kakashi looked at his watch. "Okay then. I gave you until noon when we started. Now, you have half-an hour before times up. Let's hope you can pull a miracle before then."

The three said nothing, swallowing their fear of failure. Then, their stomachs roared again. Naruto felt his vision blur in and out and his body shake. "Ooh…Kakashi-sensei?" he moaned, raising his hand. "…Can…can we eat first…?" he pleaded.

"No." Kakashi said firmly. "Second chances are not meant to be easy. Now that I've spilled the beans on what you three need to do, it HAS to be harder. You know what to do…now, let's see if you can pull it off." Now the three felt themselves struggling to stand, having to go through the entire morning without a meal. "Working together can be hard. It's harder when you're starving; malnutrition can do wonders in impairing your temperament and judgement." The jonin looked at his watch again. "You had half an hour. Now you have less." Kakashi suddenly disappeared.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Naruto cursed.

"Come on!" Sasuke said, running straight ahead. Naruto followed after him.

Sakura tried doing the same, but fell over on her knees. "Oh!" Through sheer willpower, she forced herself after them.

* * *

Kakashi sighed, and pulled out his book as he sat down on a rock. _"I almost don't want this to be a waste…"_

"YAHH!"

Kakashi looked up to see Naruto and Sasuke come at him from the front, shuriken drawn in their hands. _"Well…it's an improvement."_ Kakashi quickly caught the shuriken. Suddenly, he kicked behind him, causing Sakura to roll out of the bushes. _"Still not nearly good enough."_ Faster than they could see, Kakashi rushed the two boys, and kicked them away in a scissors kick.

"Ow." Naruto moaned as he clutched his stomach. The two watched as Kakashi took to the trees.

"So much for your brilliant plan!" Sasuke yelled.

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto shouted back. "I don't see you making any suggestions!" Sasuke just stared at him.

* * *

Kakashi relaxed against a tree, sighing. _"They're not going to make it."_ Suddenly, a volley of shuriken hurtled towards him. Calmly, Kakashi cartwheeled away, not even bothering unfolding his arms. "Really? That's the best you got?"

Suddenly, a small rubber ball rolled towards him. It exploded, enveloping Kakashi in smoke. "Now, Naruto!" Sasuke shouted from the bushes. Up from the canopy, several Naruto clones jumped down into his spot. Immediately, Sasuke went in after him. The smoke stung, but Sasuke powered through, seeing a tall silhouette. _"There!"_ Sasuke reached forward, and reached for his hip.

"Hey! I don't swing that way!"

" _Shit."_ It turned out to be Naruto; it seemed Kakashi pulled another human-substitution. "The smoke should clear soon enough; we'll find him then." He said as he pulled a kunai in a guard stance Indeed, it thinned out, but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

"Smoke bombs are good for covering yourself. But for stunning a trained enemy…useless." The two looked up to see Kakashi up in one of the trees, crouched on a branch. Sasuke growled, hurling more shuriken. Kakashi simply jumped away. "I'm rather disappointed. I outright tell you that you need to work together, and yet all you have managed to do is take turns." Suddenly, Sakura leaped from the bushes, aiming for his bells. Despite not looking, Kakashi easily spun around and parried her into the dirt, earning a grunt from her. "Thank you for making my point." Naruto and Sasuke growled, charging after him. They tried punching him, but he simply disappeared. "You have 10 minutes left!" Kakashi called from somewhere. "I hope for your sakes you can think up of a decent plan!"

* * *

Kakashi looked at the panicked teens from the forest trees. He sighed, walking away. It really looked like they wouldn't make it. Even if he wanted to, there was nothing more he could do for them. _"I'm sorry, sensei…I guess it just wasn't meant to be…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, the three teens huddled together, desperate for a new course of action. "Well, this is going down south!" Sasuke said.

"No thanks to you!" Naruto hissed back.

"Uh, excuse me? As I recall, your so-called 'plan' failed!" Sasuke shot back.

"We need to try something else!" Sakura suddenly suggested. The two boys looked at her. While Naruto seemed to be genuinely interested in what she had to say, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Uh, excuse me, but what can you do?"

Sakura seemed to stumble for an answer. "Uh, well, I can use shuriken, I can make bushins…"

"In other words, you're useless." Sasuke snorted. "As if your sneak attack from before wasn't a clue enough!"

Sakura looked down on the ground, clearly hurt by what Sasuke said. Upon, seeing this, Naruto spoke up again. "Hey!" he said. "Don't treat her like that!"

"She certainly isn't helping, so I don't see why not!" Sasuke snapped.

"Just because she's the weakest of us, doesn't mean she's WORTHLESS." Before anymore could be said, Sakura punched him in the shoulder. "OW!" he protested, rubbing his shoulder.

"Watch it!" Sakura growled.

"Uh, right…" Naruto chuckled nervously. "What I mean is, hear her out at least."

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."

"So, Sakura-chan." Naruto began. "What do you think we should do?"

Sakura thought about it. "Well, Kakashi is a jonin, right? He must have experienced a lot, more than we can throw at him."

"That doesn't help our situation." Sasuke interrupted.

"What I'm saying is that in order to win, we need to throw something unexpected at him." Sakura suggested. "Uh, by any chance did any of you hold back during the entrance exams? Have something up your sleeves?"

"I already threw my best at him." Sasuke sighed. "And neither of you got anything that he hasn't seen before."

The two looked on the ground…then Naruto's face lit up. "Actually, Iruka-sensei showed me something really cool the other day…"

* * *

Kakashi checked his watch. _"Seven minutes."_ Suddenly, Kakashi saw several smoke bombs thrown at him. He didn't flinch as he was covered in a ring of smoke. _"Admirable attempt I guess."_

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi turned to see Sakura charged at him with kunai. "I expected slightly better from you." Suddenly, he heard shuriken from behind coming at him. At that moment, Sakura dove out of the way; she was never meant to attack him! He began to spin in the air, in perfect position to catch the shuriken, yet he was still able to take time to be surprised. _"A coordinated attack…I suppose they have SOME potential after all…"_ he smirked under his mask.

"Prepare yourself!" Kakashi's eye widened as he heard what seemed to be his own voice. Catching the shuriken flying for him, he turned back to face…himself!? A man who appeared exactly liked him attacked with a kunai, the real Kakashi using the shuriken as a knuckle-blade to block his attacks. Judging by his wild attacks, Kakashi had no problem identifying the imposter. "Impressive, Naruto! You knew the transformation technique! Very impressive indeed!" he said. Kakashi managed to knock the kunai out of "Naruto's" hand, and discarded his own improvised weapon.

"Quick, Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as he and Sakura got into position for a second attack behind the bushes. "Take him now!"

Naruto kicked sloppily at him, but Kakashi blocked everything he threw at him. "Okay, I admit. You surprised me." The jonin conceded as he parried a punch. "You've grasped the basics of the art of transformation very well. However…" As Naruto tried to attack with two punches, Kakashi caught both with his own hands. "…you do not seem to understand the limitations very well."

Naruto tried pushing, but he didn't budge. Kakashi squeezed his hands over Naruto's, and the young ninja screamed as he felt the pressure against his bones. Kakashi began pushing him back, rather easily. It was as if Naruto's mass hadn't changed much when he transformed! Naruto's now single eye widened as he remembered Iruka's words.

 _"Transformation changes your shape, but it does not allow you to perform techniques you didn't learn or cannot do. It can change your strength proportionate to your new size, but your athletic abilities will not match your intended exactly, as you will both have different levels of experience."_

"SHIT!" Naruto heaved as he felt the real Kakashi shove his fist into his abdomen, and brought him down with an elbow to the back of his head. Naruto transformed back to his twelve-year old self, and groaned in the grass as he felt his body lock up.

"You're running out of time!" Kakashi waved to the other two. "You're finally starting to get it, but you're going to have to do better than that if you want to pass!" Kakashi then ran for the forest. "You have four minutes!

Sakura and Sasuke got out of the bushes. "It's hopeless." Sakura muttered as she looked at the ground, disappointed. "We should just quit."

"You go right ahead and quit if you want!" Sasuke growled. "I'm getting this training!"

"Sasuke's right, Sakura-chan!" Naruto suddenly said, grunting as he tried to massage the pain away from his body. "If just one of us gives up, it's proof that we don't belong here!" Sakura looked at him, stunned. Did he just say something…inspiring? "You passed the first exam for a reason. You can't give up now!" Sakura blushed slightly at the praise.

"So, what do you propose?" Sasuke asked. "We tried it your way! Again!"

"Let's try it again!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You haven't the heard the expression 'Fool me once', have you?" Sasuke groaned.

"I didn't say I'd transform into Kakashi again!" Naruto snapped back. "I know I'm not a match for him! None of us are! But, maybe, if we distract him, we can get the bells!"

"Jonin are the ultimate ninja!" Sasuke protested. "They don't fall for simple distractions so easily!"

"Well, this won't be so simple then!" Naruto shouted back.

"GUYS!" Sakura shouted. "We're running out of time! Whatever you're going to do, just do it!"

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he stared at the mountains that surrounded the village ahead of him. _"Two minutes."_

"Time for you to give us our due!"

Kakashi turned to see Naruto and his Kage Bushins charging right at him. "And to think you were doing a bit better." Kakashi expertly parried and dispelled each attacking clone. However, he noticed that with all the bushin thrown at him, none of them were the real thing; a bit of a change in the earlier tactics Naruto used. Kakashi turned around, and saw Naruto standing in front of him now, arms crossed with a cocky grin. "You seem confident." He noted.

"I should be. I'm going to show you my ultimate transformation!"

"Then I shall show you how misplaced that confidence is when I beat you down…" Kakashi said, walking towards him.

"Who said anything about fighting?" Naruto put his hands together, and concentrated. "Henge no Jutsu!"

Smoke exploded around him, and in his place was something Kakashi was NOT prepared for: A Beautiful girl! She looked like a relative of Naruto, retaining his blond hair in pigtails, blue eyes and whiskers on the cheeks. However, she was also completely naked! Some smoke lingered to cover her breasts and privates, but Kakashi still got a good view of her curves. "Uhhh…" Kakashi's mind went completely blank as he observed her.

She struck a pose, hands behind her head as she winked at him. "How may I be of service to you, Kakashi-sama?" she said in a sexy, sing-song voice.

At this point, the jonin was frozen in place, staring at the transformation like an idiot. As they were told, Sakura and Sasuke were hiding in the bushes to the jonin's side. They knew Naruto was going to distract him, but they weren't expecting this! _"Naruto, you pervert…"_ Sakura cringed.

"Psst!"

Sasuke got her attention, and Sakura focused on the task at hand. "Right!" she whispered.

Sakura and Sasuke leaped from both sides. Sasuke was on Kakashi's left, where the bells were. Sakura jumped from the right, brandishing a kunai. This part was Sasuke's idea; Kakashi would have to make a choice between defending the two sides. If he chose to counter Sasuke, he would leave himself open to a potentially fatal blow. If he defended against Sakura, Sasuke would get the bells. Either way, Sasuke figured, Kakashi was now in a no-win situation. Both were closing in on Kakashi; it seemed Naruto's distraction was working better than expected. Just when it seemed they were both about to touch him, Kakashi suddenly jumped up and performed a scissors kick, knocking both back in the sternum. The moment they hit the ground, the timer on Kakashi's watch went off: It was noon. Time was up.

Naruto undid his "Sexy Jutsu" as he stared in shock, falling to his knees, his face torn in anguish. "No…"

Kakashi stared at him for a moment…and his one eye closed. Naruto could see that under his mask, Kakashi was smiling. "Well done. You all made it."

Sasuke stood straight up in surprise, Sakura remained on her hands and knees, and Naruto's jaw dropped. "Uh, could you repeat that?" Naruto asked.

"I said you passed. It's official now; you are all ninja." Kakashi said. "Congratulations."

"B-but, we didn't get the bells…" Sakura said, confused as Naruto.

"Shh!" Sasuke shushed her. "Don't remind him!"

"I didn't want you to get the bells." Kakashi explained. "I wanted you to TRY. And you needed to work together just to get close to that." He turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, before you were trying to go at it all on your own. We still need to work on it, but you're learning to work with others in order to achieve your goals." He turned to Sakura. "Sakura. For now, you may be the bottom of the pole, but you refuse to let that stop you from helping your teammates, or be too dependent on them. And I was able to hear you offer suggestions; sometimes, that's all you need. And as your sensei, I will do my best to ensure you will acquire more skills." He then turned to Naruto. "As for you: we still need a lot of work." Naruto looked down on the ground. "BUT, you also did not give up. Not even when I said it was over. To my surprise, you took a leadership role on this team, directing attacks and mediating conflict between your teammates. Not to mention, you've FINALLY discovered how to use your limited skill set creatively. That will be essential both for you and your teammate's survival, and for completing your mission. With some intense studying, we just might be able to get your face on the mountain." Seeing has how the three were still in shock, Kakashi made another announcement. "And so, since it is my understanding the three of you had the number 7 when you entered, I hereby announce the birth of Team 7!"

Naruto's face finally lit up, and it broke out into the biggest grin. "YESS!" he jumped up, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Shanarro!" Sakura shouted out, as she also jumped in joy. When she touched down, she noticed Sasuke clutching a kunai behind his back as he looked at Kakashi. For a brief moment, she held her breath in fright. When Sasuke released his grip, she let out her breath.

"Well…" Kakashi said as he made hand signs and placed his hands on the ground, summoning the bento lunches. "…I actually feel quite satisfied myself. Why don't we celebrate with a long overdue lunch…?"

"Screw the bentos!" Naruto waved his arm. "C'mon. Let's celebrate at Ichiraku's!" Naruto waved for them to follow him as he ran off.

Sakura looked to Kakashi. "Uh…sensei?"

"You heard me. We're all a team now. And teammates have to stick together." Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Go on." Sakura bowed, and chased after him. Sasuke shrugged, and followed after them too. _"And thanks for wasting my money."_ Kakashi thought as he dropped his smile.

* * *

"We dropped the bentos for this!?" Sakura snapped as she and her teammates took seats at the Ichiraku ramen shop's barstool.

"Hey, you ordered from us before!" Naruto protested.

"For a quick meal!" Sakura said.

"Let's just eat already." Sasuke sighed, rubbing his stomach.

"I suggest you listen to your friend." Tenchu said, coming to the counter. Looking to Naruto, he smiled. "So, I guess if you're here with these two, it means you passed the second round?"

"Yeah, we totally kicked butt!" Naruto said as he pumped his fist.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at him in disbelief. "From someone's perspective, at least…" Sasuke mumbled.

"Wait…how do you know about the second exam?" Sakura asked.

Naruto blinked. He remembered saying only the graduating ninja knew about the 2nd exam. So how would the old man know? _"Come to think of it…"_

"I have my ways." Tenchu chuckled. "I hear it's really nerve-racking. And if it took you this long, you three must be starving! I'll give you all the best stuff, on the house!"

"Thank you!" Naruto and Sakura clapped their hands together, as they bowed. In time, they each had three massive bowls. Naruto with pork, Sakura with Lobster, and Sasuke with Beef. Sakura blinked. "How…how did he know I like Lobster?"

"The old man has this sixth sense for guessing people's tastes!" Naruto said as he dug in. "I've seen him use this as a way to break the ice with indecisive customers!" he said between mouthfuls. As the three began eating, Naruto looked to his two teammates as they sated their hunger. He never really hung out with other kids before. He didn't quite fit in with everyone else, and the adults would quietly beckon their children away. _"This…this is nice."_ He thought.

Sakura looked between her and her teammates. _"I thought all I needed on this team was Sasuke-kun…"_ She looked to Naruto slurping some noodles. _"…but maybe, just maybe, having this dork along won't be so bad either…"_ she smiled.

Sasuke looked to them as well. _"They can't be dragged in…I'll at least keep them safe, when I'm not on my mission…"_

* * *

"You actually did it." Hiruzen smiled, pleased at the report in his hand.

"I almost didn't." Kakashi said, leaning against the chair. "I guess the memory of his parents is stronger with me than I thought."

"I don't consider that a bad thing." Hiruzen said as he dropped the report of in a pile to be filed away later. "Besides, based on your report, I do believe they earned the right to be ninja."

"They still need a lot of work." Kakashi sighed, staring up at the fan. "I'm not sure I'm up to the task…"

"If you only do what you can do now, you will never be more than you are." Hiruzen replied with one of his favorite proverbs from the continent, chuckling slightly. "It is not only a learning experience for them, but you as well. Embrace it, and whatever you do…" Hiruzen's face then turned sad. "…don't let them go. One way, or another."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind." He got up from his seat and exited the office. As he walked outside the building, he looked up to the Hokage Mountain, eyeing the face of the Yodaime. _"I didn't want to…but I promise you, I'm in it now. 100 percent."_

* * *

And there you go! Looking back, while I understand Kishimoto's intentions back then (or at least, I think I do…it is very difficult to tell with this man) with the initial test, I'm starting to think it was pretty lazy on his part. I get he's trying to get Sasuke and Sakura to care about Naruto, but it only served for THEM to pass the test; all he had Naruto do was play the poor sap (and left him tied up to boot). Here, I thought at least this would directly emphasize the teamwork part more.

Also, and like a lot of things this is in hindsight as well, there's the matter of transformation. It just seems a bit odd that Naruto had trouble doing clones at first, but could easily transform. In fact, considering how much detail you would need to put into a new form (so I would assume, anyway), I'd assume transformation to be a more advanced technique than duplication. Take that for what you will, and here I wanted to make the Sexy Jutsu [somewhat] more useful.

Not much more to this. Just gave out hints of what's to come. Some obvious, others not so much. You'll see in time.


	5. Start the Mission!

Hey there everyone. Things happened, and this chapter took longer than it should have. What can I say? Now that we've gotten past the entrance exams, it's time to head over to the Land of Waves! Again, same idea, different path. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

It was Monday morning, and Naruto slept soundly in his bed, only his blond hair visible from under the sheets. Then, his alarm rung. As usual, he rolled over and hit the snooze button. "Stupid first day…" he groaned as he snuggled back into the covers. After a moment, his eyes widened. "Holee-! It's my first day! MY FIRST DAY AS A NINJA!"

His fatigue completely gone, Naruto rushed out of bed, ate some toast, showered and dressed in his orange suit. He was about to reach for his goggles, but then saw his hiate on his desk. Remembering how important this day was, he reached for it and tied it tightly around his forehead, the spiral shape standing proudly in its center. "Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist towards his reflection in the mirror. "It's time to show the world what I'm made of!"

* * *

"Bye Mom!" Sakura called to her parents as she bounded down the stairs and out the front door.

"Be careful, sweetie!" her mother called from inside.

Sakura paid her no heed as she walked outside, practically skipping along. _"It's my first official mission…I hope Sasuke-kun will notice me!"_ she thought, internally squeeing with excitement. Then, remembering Kakashi's harsh lesson from that day, she calmed down. _"…for being a good kunoichi, that is. Of course."_ She tried to convince herself.

* * *

Sasuke got on two knees as he lit the incense, and waiting for the smoke to rise, ringed the small bowl. In front of it was a picture of a middle-aged man with gray hair, dressed in dark traditional clothing, and a woman with long black hair like Sasuke's, dressed in a beautiful blue kimono. And in the middle of them was Sasuke himself; he was seven when the picture was taken. Sasuke clasped his hands together in prayer. "Mom, Dad…I'm on my way now. You won't have to wait much longer." Staying there for a moment, he got up and left. A closer look at the portrait revealed the right side was torn, leaving a headless body next to his mother…

* * *

The three received instructions to meet Kakashi at the park. Sakura and Sasuke got there roughly at the same time, ten minutes before 10 (thank god for no more meetings at dawn). 5 minutes later, Naruto showed up. "Well, it seems you're on time for once." Sasuke noted.

"Morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled gleefully, ignoring Sasuke.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the honorific. _"I guess I'll let it slide for now…"_ "Say good morning to Sasuke-kun too, Naruto." She replied firmly but politely.

"Don't bother him." Sasuke sighed. "He'll just throw a fit."

"Well, excuse me, teme! You don't exactly exude a warm, friendly atmosphere!" Naruto complained.

"You're too warm and fuzzy, dobe." Sasuke sighed as he crossed his arms. "I guess that's why I'm stuck with you; we'd be a trio of Care Trolls if I left you unchecked."

"Really, you two!" Sakura said, breaking up the argument before it could go any further. "We're a team now! So let's act like it!" She pumped her arm in the air to encourage enthusiasm. Naruto's mood did a complete 180, showing off his goofy smile. Sasuke was still as moody as ever.

"Well, we just have to wait for him to show up…" Sasuke said as he looked off into the distance…

* * *

"YOU'RE LATE!" the three shouted when their sensei finally arrived.

Indeed, Kakashi was half an hour late; not as bad as the official exam, but for most people this would still be inexcusable. "My bad." Kakashi said sheepishly, scratching his head. "I bought a new book; really got into it." Seeing nothing he could say would dissuade them, he sighed and clapped his hands. "Well, what's done is done. Are you ready for your mission?"

"Heck yeah I am!" Naruto shouted in excitement. Sasuke silently nodded.

"We're ready for anything, sensei." Sakura said, presenting herself as the composed one.

Kakashi nodded. "Very well. Follow me; I'll explain once we get there."

The three followed him, wondering what they would do. _"Maybe we'll protect a princess from yakuza?"_ Naruto thought, seeing himself beating up an army of thugs, Sasuke cowering in a corner, and Sakura and the made-up princess in his mind staring at him lovingly.

" _Perhaps we will gather intelligence on foreign countries?"_ Sakura thought, hoping to do something important but nothing to immediately endanger their lives. She could see herself stealthily moving along narrow halls, finding out all sorts of dirty secrets and sharing the details with her team, Sasuke in particular calling her amazing. She blushed at the thought.

"Here we are." Kakashi said. The genin snapped to attention…and saw a river, its bank littered with trash. "I hope none of this was you." Kakashi said as he observed, shaking his head. "Today's youth; so concerned about the environment yet can never be bothered to pick up after themselves."

"Do we really have to be debriefed on our mission here?" Sakura asked in disgust. "Can't we at least go somewhere cleaner?"

"Oh, this IS your mission." Kakashi clarified.

"EXCUSE ME!?" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi pulled out his scrolls and produced some trash pickers from them. "You're going to clean the river bank."

"Wait, what did we do to deserve this!?" Naruto shouted.

"Well…" Kakashi began, looking up in thought. "You passed the test, and you're genin now. And genin get D-ranked missions usually. And D-rank missions are generally maintenance work. I thought the Hokage explained that to you." Seeing the three were not satisfied with the answer, Kakashi shrugged "Well, if that's the way you feel, I could always take away your hiates AND my generous second chance I gave you…"

"NO NO!" Naruto waved frantically, rushing to collect the trash with his bare hands. "We're happy to serve!"

"Glad to hear that." Kakashi smiled under his mask. He tossed the three sticks to Sakura and Sasuke. "I think you two would prefer to use these." As he walked away, he said "I'll meet you at the Hokage's office when you're finished."

"OW!" Naruto yelped as he put his finger in his mouth. "Ahi fink I phricked myfelf!"

"Don't put your finger in your mouth, you idiot!" Sakura shouted in disgust and fright.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sighed in disappointment, and got to work.

* * *

After that disappointing day, the three hoped their days as genin would pick up. However, they were once again bummed out when Kakashi escorted them into a classroom and left them there. They found the other genin in there with them, and they all seem rather perplexed. "We're being made to take more tests!?" one yelled.

"I want to work, not go back to school!"

"I wanna kick butt out there!"

Naruto could only rest his head on the desk. "Naruto?" Sakura asked. "You don't look so good."

"N-no more…" he stuttered. His eyes were completely unfocused, and his body was trembling. It looked like he would pass out at any moment.

"Don't mind him; he's always like this when he's being tested on knowledge…" Sasuke said as he observed the blond dunce.

"Really?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded. "We took the GE classes together. He totally panicked and froze up the first time. From what I understand, he had to repeat several times, and even then he only JUST passed. I think he got the second lowest score. I heard the one at the bottom…had issues."

Sakura sighed. "I knew you were dumb, but this is ridiculous…" she said to Naruto, though it looked like he didn't hear her.

"I think it's more of a confidence thing." Sasuke said. "Still, if he has any inherent talents, test-taking is definitely not one of them…"

Finally, an adult briskly walked into the class room. He was a burly man, his hiate made into a cloth cap as opposed to the usual headband, and sported three gruesome scars across his face. Instead of the usual ninja gear, he wore what seemed to be gray clothes underneath his black leather coat. His killer instinct eyes got the attention of everyone, even Naruto sat up straight in shock. "Good afternoon, maggots!" he said as he wrote his name on the board. "I am Morino Ibiki, Special Jonin! But you will only refer to me as Morino-sensei when you are in this classroom!" Naruto then raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Uh, what makes you so 'special'?" The rest of the class burst out into laughter, while Sakura and Sasuke looked away from him in embarrassment.

"Hm…" he smirked as he rubbed his chin. "That's actually a good question! A special jonin is technically a chunin!" he explained. "However, some individuals become so good in a certain field to the point that their expertise is jonin level!"

"Oh good. I was worried it meant you were retarded." Naruto smirked.

The class laughed again, while Sasuke and Sakura scooted their desks away from him as subtly as possible. _"I SWEAR, I DON'T KNOW HIM SENSEI!"_ Sakura's inner self screamed.

"Oh?" Ibiki raised his eyebrow (more like a quarter of an eyebrow). "Would you like to know what exactly my area of expertise is?"

Naruto gulped. "Well, uh…"

"Interrogation." Ibiki said. "I'm guessing you're clumsy, and perhaps a little stupid as well."

"HEY!"

"I wasn't much different from you when I was your age. However, one day, I was captured by the enemy…" He lifted his hat up. "…And then this happened!"

The entire class gasped, some screamed. Sakura in particular held her mouth, looking like she was about to lose her lunch. Naruto fell back into his chair and fainted. The scar on Ibiki's lip was the least of his worries; his scalp was covered in scars, and they could even see several holes drilled into his skull. "Knowledge is not only power. It can be a lifesaver." He continued. "I didn't have knowledge back then when I was captured by enemy ninja. But they taught me much. And now, I am better at interrogation than most others who crudely torture their victims." He smirked. "And this is just the top of my head. I could show you all the other scars I've developed over the years, but then I would be arrested for indecent exposure to minors." He smirked. "And what I'm about to teach you could save your life! Of course, you can choose to ignore my lessons and wind up like me…"

He looked to see Naruto completely out of it. Sighing, he took his cup of water and splashed Naruto in the face. "Pppfff!" Naruto sputtered. "HEY!"

"Let's begin…" Ibiki huffed as he began writing on the board.

* * *

Wednesday came. "Please tell me we're going to do something cool today." Naruto moaned as he and the rest of Team 7 met in the training grounds.

"Indeed." Kakashi answered. "We're doing something very cool today." Naruto and Sakura's eyes brightened up, while Sasuke remained as stoic as ever. "Training." Naruto and Sakura looked a bit disappointed, though Sasuke's eyes seemed to brighten up a bit. "Today, we're going to train the physical body. Hold out your arms, each of you."

Kakashi attached weighted bracelets to each of them, all three shocked at how much they weighed. "These weigh 20 kilograms each. Good for building stamina." Kakashi clapped his hands. "Now, let's get started."

He ordered them to run, and by run, he meant SPRINT. The three were quickly tiring out, even Sasuke. Sakura in particular kept falling behind, and Kakashi had to fall back and shock her to get her to keep up with the others. He then forced them to do upside down crunches, though none of them could completely rise up. Eventually, after several more exercises, Kakashi decided to do some sparring. "Okay. Now that you're all warmed up, let's develop you're taijutsu." He said.

Everyone was hunched over, breathing heavily. "We're too tired…" Naruto moaned.

Kakashi suddenly tripped him under his legs. "That's probably what's going to happen in battle. For whatever reason, you will not be at your best. You can either suck it up and win, or you can just give up and let them kill you." Kakashi stood straight again. "Now, attack me." He ordered.

"We won't stand a chance." Sakura said, raising her hand.

"No." Kakashi agreed. "But it's the best way for you to improve. Now come at me…or I will come to you. Your call."

The three finally did as he commanded, and throughout the session, none could lay a blow on him. Sasuke displayed excellent technique for his level, forcing Kakashi to parry all of his attacks. Naruto's technique, however, was very clumsy. Kakashi often just let him strike and the momentum from his strikes would cause him to fall over. Sakura's technique was decent, but she consistently lacked power. Kakashi would often take the blows, and use his own body to knock her back. Eventually, the sun began to set, and the timer on Kakashi's watch went off. "Okay. That's enough for today." He announced. The three collapsed in relief, desperately trying to catch their breath. "Sasuke, you may go." Sasuke released the weights, and bowed, leaving his two teammates. "Naruto…your technique is going to need a lot of work. We will have to work on that in the future." He then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, you really need to build up strength. It's going to be difficult, so be prepared." Sakura moaned. "Okay, you're having class with Ibiki tomorrow. See you then." Kakashi said as he waved bye to them.

Naruto then held up Sakura's arm, and supported her on his shoulders. "Ugh…how are you able to still move?" Sakura moaned.

"Dunno." Naruto answered. "I guess years of bike riding did me some good."

Sakura sighed. "I…I'm not sure I'm cut out for this…"

"Please don't give up." Naruto said. "We're just getting started, right? So we'll just get better." Sakura said nothing, leaning against him as he helped her out of the training area…

* * *

The next day, the team was sent back to Ibiki's class. "I hope everyone here prepared for today's test!" the special jonin said as he passed out papers as he went down each row, the genin all moaning.

Naruto was trembling now. _"I didn't even take notes!"_ As the papers were handed out to everyone, Naruto breathed heavily. _"Stay calm! It's about taking someone out! Nothing more! Should be easy!"_

Finally, Ibiki slapped the exam in front of his desk. "You may begin!" Naruto looked at one of the problems:

" **You are carrying a kunai weighing 2 kg. You spot an opponent 100 meters away, and are prepared to throw it. The wind from the west is blowing at 30 m/s. How much force do you need to put behind your kunai to hit your enemy?"**

Naruto only stared blankly as he began sweating profusely. _"I'M SCREWED!"_

* * *

"So, how'd you do?" Sakura asked as their papers were collected.

Naruto could only roll off his desk and onto the floor. "Kill me now…"

* * *

Friday came, and once again Team 7 met Kakashi on the training grounds. All dreaded another session of physical training, even Sasuke. "So…" Naruto began.

"…today, we will be learning how to control our chakra." Kakashi answered for him.

"Uh-huh." Naruto said, scratching his head. "What's chakra?"

Everyone balked at his question. "You don't even know!?" Sakura yelled.

Kakashi sighed. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to go over the basics at this point in time…" Kakashi composed himself and began. "Chakra is the spiritual energy in our bodies. It enhances our strength, allows us to perform our ninjutsu and shape the elements, but most importantly, it gives life to us all."

"Oh." Naruto said.

"How in the world are you able to make clones if you don't even know the source of it?" Sasuke asked.

"The scroll just said to focus my energy." Naruto shrugged.

"Well, you're not entirely wrong either." Kakashi said. "Before ninja came about, there was many terms for our internal energy by various warring clans. Sakura, by any chance would you know how chakra originated?"

Sakura thought for a moment. "It came from the Sage of the Six Paths, the first true ninja." Sakura answered. "He described the energy inside us as wheels, hence the name chakra."

"Still don't get it…" Naruto complained again.

"Chakra means wheel in the old tongue." Sasuke answered for him. "As our language evolved, so did the term for energy. The samurai and other martial arts practicioners changed the name of the energy to 'ki' and 'chi', but today all ninja refer to it by it's original name."

Kakashi took control of the lecture again."Anyway, the energy moves through our bodies through several circular motions, and if we focus that energy within, we can connect with the elements around us." Kakashi continued

Naruto nodded. "Okay. I'm still not sure I get it…"

Kakashi just looked at him. "With time, then." Kakashi ended the oral lesson. "First, let's get a grip on the nature on your chakra. Take these." Kakashi held up 3 strips of paper. "This is chakra paper. It is extremely receptive to chakra when it is channeled through it. If you put the right amount into it, it will react according to your elemental affinity." He handed them one each. "Begin."

The three concentrated. Almost immediately, Sasuke's paper crumpled up. "Interesting." Kakashi said. "Seems you have an affinity for lightning."

Sasuke looked at the paper in surprise as well. "I thought I'd be more of a fire-user…"

"Ninja can potentially use all the five major elements" Kakashi said. "Perhaps you just haven't learned the one that would come most naturally to you."

He then inspected Naruto and Sakura's; theirs remained whole. "I see." He said, taking them back. "Now, THIS is generally expected of genin." He said as he held them up. "You haven't quite mastered the use of chakra." He looked to Naruto. "Obviously, your mastery of the Kage Bushin shows you know HOW, but it's not perfect. It seems you have a large amount of chakra, and inversely, poor control. You will never find your elemental affinity until you learn to limit the amount you put out." He then turned to Sakura. "I suspect you have the opposite problem, Sakura. From what I've seen, you haven't had the opportunity to build up your chakra. The paper will not be receptive to you until you increase your strength, and therefore, your chakra" The two groaned. "Now, don't worry. We all have to start somewhere." He assured them. "Come." Kakashi beckoned them to a tree, where he sat cross legged under it. "Let us meditate."

The three followed his lead, and just sat here. It seemed to go on forever. Naruto eventually hunched over in disappointment. _"This is boring."_

* * *

And so the week ended. Naruto memorized the schedule as he marked them down on his calendar. Community service on Mondays. Studying and testing Tuesdays and Thursdays. Physical training on Wednesdays. And finally, Chakra training on Fridays. _"I thought once I got in, I would be going on adventures and learning how to fight."_ Naruto thought as he tossed away the calendar. _"Tenchu was right; I CAN be an idiot."_ Looking at the clock, he saw it was 10'o clock. _"I might as well turn in early."_ He shrugged.

Naruto got into bed and yawned. _"Well, tomorrow's the weekend. I guess a little down-time will do me some good."_ He closed his eyes, prepared to sleep until noon. Soon, he was out, smiling away into the night…

* * *

A blaring ring suddenly invaded Naruto's ears. "ARRGH!" Naruto shot up covering his ears.

"Rise and Shine!"

Naruto turned to see Kakashi on his bed, holding an alarm clock in his hand. "Kakashi-sensei!? What the hell are you doing in my room!?"

"You're late for training." Kakashi said as he tossed the clock away. "And your door was locked."

"Training!?" Naruto looked at his own clock. "At seven in the morning!?" Naruto slapped his face as he tried to focus. "Forget seven! It's freaking SATURDAY!" he shouted.

"So?"

"It's the weekend! It's our day off!" Naruto yelled.

"Oh." Kakashi said. He then smiled under his mask, pointing his finger up. "Well, today's your lucky day! All genin have to train over the weekend as well."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

"So get dressed." Kakashi said as he walked towards the open window, no doubt his point of entry. "The others are waiting for you down below. For some reason, they seem to be as tired as you…" he postulated as he jumped out.

Naruto groaned as he fell back into his pillow. "What the heck have I signed on for?"

* * *

If the training over the week was bad, this was absolute hell! The three had to run all across the village, and it seemed while they were struggling to catch their breath, Kakashi was simply jogging ahead of them (and was getting quite frustrated with their inability to keep up).

Then they had to do a bunch of squats and pull-up like exercises. Naruto and Sakura could barely keep up the pace when Kakashi had them do jumping squats, feeling their legs practically becoming dead weights and sweating puddles onto the ground. Sasuke was faring better than both of them, though still struggling, and Kakashi took notice of him. "Well done, Sasuke." He commented, pleased with his performance. "You're proving once again you're much stronger than the average genin." Sasuke smiled slightly at that. "We better up your workout so you're at the same level of exhaustion as the rest of your team by the time you finish." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as Kakashi suddenly shackled several weights to his limbs. Sasuke was then doing the exercises slower than before, clearly having to put more effort into it. "There we go." Kakashi smirked. Seeing Naruto and Sakura just standing there, he turned to them and snapped "I didn't say you could stop!" Naruto and Sakura got back to work.

Kakashi then had them practice with their shuriken. Sasuke and Sakura managed to more or less hit their marks (though the former's were much more accurate), but Naruto was way off. "We're REALLY going to have to work on that." Kakashi noted with disappointment.

He then had them attack wooden dummies with taijutsu. However, as opposed to the chunin instructors, who just taught them the basic strikes, Kakashi got to the nitty gritty of the techniques, demanding more accuracy and power, and doing his best to make sure they understood the concept and principals from each attack and block. Sasuke was doing well to keep up, but Naruto and Sakura were having trouble, struggling to lift their limbs. "Sakura, make sure your knuckles are the first to strike! You'll break your fingers if you're off by just a bit!" Kakashi yelled. "Naruto, you're telegraphing all your strikes! Anyone could see them coming! Attack with straight movements, and keep your body centered!"

"Oh, enough!" Naruto shouted as he hunched over in exhaustion. Sakura and Sasuke stopped dead in their tracks, knowing that Naruto had broken a big student-teacher taboo. "What's the point of all this!? You have us work our assess off, sit around to feel our spiritual energy or something, pick up trash, and study! I thought you were going to take us on missions to do some good! Make us like you!"

Kakashi said nothing at first, but they could see by the way his eye narrowed, he was angry. "Sakura." He said. "Do you happen to know how the genin rank was first formed and what is its purpose in the present day?"

Sakura gulped as she mustered up the courage to answer. "G-genin were first conceived during the Kobana war, before the five great shinobi nations were formed. I'm…I'm not certain of the exact reason, I just know that the clans believed they needed more ninja back then!"

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction as he began to circle Naruto, who was starting to tremble in his presence. "At first, we only had chunin and jonin, a simple division of normal and elite. However, heavy losses on all parties involved eventually forced them to bring children still in training onto the frontlines. Knowing they were not ready for the big stuff, they invented the term 'genin' and trained them to back up their superiors." Kakashi then stopped in front of Naruto, who quickly felt his bravado shrink to nothing. "Back then, the warring clans were desperate. They blindly accepted those with the bare minimum of the basics and threw them out into battle, opting for a quantity over quality approach. Many died within a month of being accepted. The more extreme clans considered it 'weeding out the weak' back then." Before Naruto could react, he felt something grab him and flip him on his back. Naruto saw a kunai coming right for his eyes, and shielded himself. Realizing he wasn't stabbed, he cautiously opened his eyes to see the kunai a hair's breadth away from him. "Today, we keep the genin rank around as a reserve unit of sorts, and train you to be ready for war…during times of peace. And that's precisely why you three are not out in the field just yet." Kakashi leaned his face down to Naruto's level. "I hear the Earth States and the Lightning Empire are on the verge of war. Perhaps I should push their buttons and throw you into the middle of that conflict?" Naruto gulped at the prospect. He heard the people of the Earth States were exceptional taijutsu fighters, and those from the Lightning Empire were said to have been trained from birth to be obedient soldiers. "Didn't think so." Kakashi said. Naruto felt himself practically fly up back to his feet as the jonin forced him back up. "So, be grateful I'm taking this time to make sure none you get killed in battle. Because as you are now, all three of you will be dead in a minute in a clash between shinobi."

Kakashi looked up to the sky, seeing the orange hue of the sunset. "Must be 6 pm." Kakashi looked to Sakura and Sasuke. "Now, we're doing the same thing tomorrow, so I suggest you all eat well tonight, go to bed early, and have a nutritious breakfast. And make sure you prepare lunches for yourselves tomorrow too." Sakura and Sasuke bowed, and walked away, grateful for the dismissal.

"Thank kami…" Naruto sighed, as he walked after them.

"Hold on!" Kakashi said, grabbing him by the hair. "For talking back to me, we're going to repeat this entire exercise! And one way or another, you're going to finish before 9 pm!" Naruto's face turned white at the prospect, and birds could be seen flying from the trees as his scream drove them away.

* * *

Another two weeks had passed; Naruto had done what he was told after that incident with Kakashi,, and he and the team were reluctantly starting to get with the program.

One night, Naruto found he didn't feel like going to bed just yet. Seeing that it was not that late, Naruto decided to go for a walk. As he aimlessly wandered the streets, Naruto finally settled on a bench somewhere. As he sat down to look at the night sky, he heard footsteps walk towards him.

"You have the look of someone who is wondering where he's going with his life."

Naruto turned to his side to see the Sandaime walk down the street, smoking his pipe along the way. "Old man."

"Seems proper etiquette has not been ingrained to you just yet." Hiruzen sighed. "Mind if I sit here?"

Naruto nodded, and the elder helped himself as he put his pipe out with his shoe. "And what are you doing out here?" the blonde asked.

Hiruzen sighed. "Things have been frustrating at work. I felt like I needed to go for a walk, clear my head for a bit." Hiruzen sighed. "Seems you're having a similar problem. Not satisfied?"

Naruto sighed in turn. "I feel like Kakashi-sensei is holding me back."

"Well, based on his reports, I wouldn't say that." The old man took a moment to word this. "Naruto, I understand your frustration."

"You do?"

"I was young and impulsive once, too. But please, try to understand what Kakashi is doing. It is his job as your jonin instructor to push you, both to ensure your survival, and to make sure you're the best ninja you can be, perhaps even better than him. He can be harsh, but he's not punishing you…except when he says he is."

"Don't remind me." Naruto shook as he remembered the evening of accelerated exercise. "But I want to get out there! I want to show everyone I can do this!"

"With time, I'm sure you will."

"The teme seems to get it all." Naruto mumbled.

"You mean Uchiha?" Hiruzen smirked. "Yes, he is most impressive. But he too needs to learn discipline. He may be a prodigy, but he's only getting what he needs and deserves. Nothing more." Seeing Naruto was not convinced, Hiruzen added "But how he does now is not a direct sign of how he will do in the future, nor you."

"But I feel like I'm going nowhere!" Naruto snapped.

"At some point in our lives, we all have." Hiruzen sighed. Stretching, he stood up. "It's getting late. I suggest you go to bed now; I still have some paperwork I need to catch up on. I suggest you reflect on your weaknesses and focus on improvement. Never a better time than peacetime." Naruto sighed, as he walked the opposite way. "Naruto!" Naruto turned to see Sarutobi hold up his hand with a thumbs up. "I have a feeling your time is coming soon. Be patient for just a little bit longer!"

As Hiruzen continued on his path, Naruto did as well. Oddly, he felt like smiling.

* * *

Sakura sighed at her desk, already dressed in her red flannel pajamas. She was reviewing her basic ninjutsu and math books before going to bed; strange bed fellows that she figured she could say goodbye to at this point in her life. Ibiki's class was hard even for her. _"I thought I could move on to being an adult when I became a kunoichi."_ She then thought about a particular teammate. _"I thought I could also get closer to Sasuke-kun…but none of us had a chance to take a breather to even have a normal conversation together."_ She sighed sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke was hard at work on a punching bag in his house; he nailed it with several punches and kicks. For his rank, they were superb. But for what he needed, it wasn't enough…

* * *

" _Oni-chan!" a five year old Sasuke called, running down the hall towards the dojo. "Mom says dinner's ready!"_

 _He stopped as he saw his brother hard at work on the bag. "Harder!" their father called as he watched over him. "Each of your strikes must finish him!" Sasuke's brother then jammed his fingers into the bag, causing the sand to spill out. "That's my boy…" the man said._

* * *

Sasuke stared at the small dent on the bag; it didn't look like it would burst anytime soon. "Not good enough." It was late, and he was spent. He picked up his towel and wiped his hair, deciding to leave training for another night.

* * *

It was another Monday, which meant more community service. The three genin had gotten used to the routine by now, and begrudgingly accepted their responsibilities. Naruto placed a plastic bag into a dumpster, while Sakura hosed down the immediate area, and Sasuke picked the trash from the street. Naruto sighed at the sight. _"So, this is what we signed up for. What we ALL signed up for."_

As Naruto walked over to help Sasuke, a familiar voice from above said "Well, you're doing a mighty fine job cleaning up."

The three looked up to see Kakashi, perched in a tree branch above them. "Yes." Sakura bowed respectfully.

Kakashi jumped from his branch to land back on the ground. "Well, in the past three weeks, I've gotten less complaining." Looking to Naruto, he said "Especially you." Naruto chuckled nervously. He would not wish Kakashi's remedial training on his worst enemy. "When you are all finished here, come to the Hokage's office."

"What for?" Sasuke asked.

"You'll see. Just finish up here." Kakashi waved as they saw him walk towards the monument.

* * *

"You have been training and serving the village for a while now. I'd imagine you've all gotten very comfortable in your position." Hiruzen said as he addressed Team 7, never looking up from his desk as he continued signing documents. The kids could only groan at his statement. "Of course, a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing can ever grow there." Finally, he looked up to them. "I have a C-rank mission for you all."

"C?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in thought. "That sounds a little bit…average." He said. Sakura suddenly slapped him across the head. "OW!"

"Baka!" Sakura hissed. "You don't talk back to the Hokage like that!"

"Without getting too into it, you're simply not ready for anything higher." Sarutobi answered, now unsurprised by Naruto's stupidity. "All missions are given ranks. D rank missions are the bottom in importance, and as I'm sure you have discovered, don't pay very well. Anyone can do them really; it's just a formality when ninja are requested to do it. C rank is the average job that requires ninja; in fact, usually a team of chunin will handle these. Of course, in this case, Kakashi will be supervising you." Kakashi nodded. "It's nothing special; you'll just be bodyguards for a client requesting protection."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, pumping his arms up in the air. Now that sounded like something worth doing!

"You do know it's probably going to be very boring, right?" Sasuke sighed.

"But if they're requesting protection, they must be important! Something's bound to happen!" Naruto exclaimed

"Naruto..." Kakashi groaned as he face-palmed himself. "….you'll learn that a good security job is a boring one. Hopefully the easy way."

"So, who are we looking after?" Naruto asked the Hokage, oblivious to Kakashi's statement. "The Daimyo? Maybe a princess!?" Naruto thought of all the possibilities of all the important people he could meet and impress.

"You'll see." Hiruzen said, holding out a scroll. Kakashi walked up, and took it, bowing. "Your mission starts tomorrow. I suggest you all get an early start."

* * *

For once, everyone was on time the next day. Kakashi was there at the gates of the village when he said he would, and the three teens were awake despite the early hour, even Naruto. There was just one problem… "Naruto…" Kakashi sighed. "What part of travelling light did you not get?"

Naruto had gotten himself a huge backpack twice his height filled to the brim; he was having serious trouble standing straight. "What?" he asked. "You said to take what you need."

"Considering it's you, you probably do need a bunch of junk to help you on the way." Sasuke smirked.

"Set it down, Naruto." Kakashi said. "Let's take a look."

Naruto did so, and his teammates scoured through his backpack. Kakashi pulled out a bunch of candy bars. "You won't be needing these." Kakashi said, throwing them away.

"What if I get hungry!?" Naruto shouted.

"These will only make you hungrier, and will give you the runs when you really start getting active…which is going to happen." Kakashi said.

Sasuke then pulled out a big radio. "We're going through a bunch of wildlands where we won't get signals, and by the time we do, you probably won't get the stations you like anyway."

"Aw, come on!"

"You may want to get a Walkman instead. Much more convenient." He said as he casually dropped it. "Actually, forget the music altogether. We need you alert out there; you could at least be our lookout."

Sakura also felt around, praying she wouldn't be touching any dirty underwear. She then felt several large hard objects. "What the heck is this!?" Sakura reached in…and pulled out a bunch of hard-cover manga. "The hell!?" There had to be at least a dozen of them!

"Kakashi said it would be boring." Naruto shrugged. "Just thought I should bring my manga collection with me."

"YOU BAKA!" Sakura yelled in his face. "What part of 'Take What You Need to Survive' did you not get!?"

"Well, I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT!" Naruto shouted back.

Kakashi face palmed himself. "Sakura, would you please take Naruto back to his place and make sure he packs correctly?" he asked.

"Why me?"

"I think this requires a woman's touch." Kakashi answered curtly.

Sakura's brow twitched at that comment. _"Anyone can do it, you jerk!"_ her inner self shouted. However, seeing what would happen if she talked back to Kakashi, she put his rather questionable comment in the back of her mind and suddenly grabbed Naruto by the ear and dragged him back into the village. "Come on!"

"OW!" he complained.

"Let's get this over with!"

* * *

Sakura finally opened the door to Naruto's apartment, and needless to say, she was disgusted with what she saw. Discarded clothes, unwashed dishes, various books haphazardly tossed around (mostly manga and magazines of course), along with an unmade bed. Sakura's brow twitched several times over. "I can't believe your parents let you live like this." She hissed as she helped herself inside.

"Uh, I never really knew them." Naruto said, scratching his head, hiding the fact he was hurt by her blurting that out.

Sakura got to work searching around. "You'll need a change of clothes…probably 3." She randomly picked up three pairs of pants and shirts, and handed them to him. "You're getting your own underwear. I'm not even touching them." She then helped him get together some toiletries, and went to his fridge. Her face sighed at what she saw. "And of course, you have no fruits or vegetables in here. Nothing you can take without needing to cook…" She took hold of his milk carton, shaking it. "You haven't drunk this milk since you bought it." She saw it was expired for over two months. She then went to his cupboard, sighing again. "Well, it seems these will have to do." She got the cup ramen, and handed them to him. "Hopefully, Kakashi-sensei is going to go hunting for us as we go. You're going to go insane with just this."

"Never!" Naruto smirked. "I never get tired of it!"

Sakura face palmed herself. "Let's just go. Next time, properly prepare for the mission, because I'm not helping you again!" Naruto blinked at her statement as she walked out. "And clean up! You'll never get any girls to visit you if you continue to live like this!"

"Uh…you came here." He said in surprise.

"THIS DOESN'T COUNT!"

* * *

"Okay then." Kakashi said, satisfied with Naruto's now much lighter load. "NOW we're ready to go."

"YES!" Naruto raised his arms in excitement. Suddenly, a thought just occurred to him. "Hey, just WHERE are we going?"

He expected his teammates to face-palm themselves at his ignorance, which was becoming common lately, but to his surprise, they looked just as confused as he was, shrugging their shoulders. "I know where we're going, and that's all you need right now." Kakashi assured them confidently. He then waved towards the gatekeepers up above; seeing his signal, they opened them up. Beyond the gates, they saw a trail surrounded by trees. Suddenly, the three felt lumps in their throats. At this moment, they realized that they had never been outside the village and its territory. "Well, let's get going." Trepidatiously, they took a cautious step outside the gate's border. "Come on!" Kakashi shouted. "We have a week to reach the client, or else we will lose the mission to a competitor!" He clapped. "Hurry up!" Kakashi suddenly took off sprinting.

After a brief pause, the three ran after him. At this moment, Naruto was grateful to Sakura for lightening his load. He was giving it everything he got, but Kakashi was already far off into the horizon. He could tell by the way he carried himself, Kakashi wasn't even going at his top speed. Sasuke was ahead of him, but still nowhere near Kakashi's speed, and he was struggling to keep up as well. Trailing way behind the two of them, Sakura was running out of breath fast, still not used to pushing her slim body like this. "No! Come on, Sakura!" she told herself. _"You…can…do….this!"_ Sakura let out a hoarse breath as she pushed further. _"Even if it kills me!"_ She hoped it wouldn't come to that…

As Naruto focused on Kakashi ahead, he saw him disappear from the horizon altogether. _"What!? Hell no!"_ Both he and Sasuke pushed themselves harder.

Sasuke felt like he was catching up to his teacher…and skidded to a stop as he stared down 20 meters of forest below. Sasuke looked around to see a whole mountain range around them. _"This whole time…we lived on a plateau! And I never knew!"_

Naruto also skidded to a stop, and bumped into Sasuke. The sudden force threw both of them off balance, and they both screamed as they fell to what they assumed to be their deaths.

Sakura, hearing the commotion ahead, got her second wind. She sprinted up to the edge, and gasped in horror. "SASUKE-KUN! NARUTO!"

* * *

The two screamed as they plummeted to the forest down below. Best case scenario, they expected the branches to catch them and cave their sternums in. Indeed, something caught them, but it was soft and springy. The two were silent, in disbelief that they weren't hurt.

"See?" they heard Kakashi say. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

The two looked behind them to see Kakashi relax against a tree branch. Looking below them, they saw they were caught by a net. "What is this?" Naruto asked.

"As of now, we have officially crossed the border of Konohagakure." Kakashi said. "Upon finding the village, both Uzumaki Harashima and Uchiha Madara agreed that though they needed the cover of the forest to protect them, it would not be enough." Kakashi looked up to the plateau, the two genin following his lead. "They then discovered the plateau you see before you. They agreed it was the perfect place to protect their people. Not only would the high cliffs make it difficult for invaders to come up and attack them, but enemies would waste their time scouring the forests below while they were safe up above." Kakashi smirked under his mask. "So, calling it the 'hidden leaf village' had a double meaning." Both Naruto and Sasuke were fascinated by his story. Looking below, Naruto saw they were still far up from the ground. "This safety net is spread across the canopy all around the plateau." Kakashi explained. "We're still 70 meters above the actual ground."

Naruto gulped. "I…I never knew we were so high up…"

"Of course, we could have found out the easy way if you didn't crash into me…" Sasuke snorted.

"Well, maybe if a certain teme didn't suddenly stop, he could have saved us a bunch of trauma-!" Naruto shot back

"Enough!" Kakashi shouted, breaking up the argument. "There will be more for both of you to discover in time." he said. "Now, I believe we are short one teammate…" Kakashi said as he looked up.

* * *

Sakura fidgeted uncontrollably on the edge of the plateau. _"THERE'S NO WAY! THERE'S NO WAY THOSE TWO COULD BE DEAD!"_ she screamed inside of her mind. _"…could there!?"_ She began to pace uncontrollably, still very much in panic mode. _"What should I do!? I should go for help! Yes, I should…"_

"SAKURA!" she heard Kakashi yell from down below. "YOU COMIN'?"

Sakura stopped upon hearing his voice. "Kakashi-sensei!" she yelled, her call echoing across the mountain range. "Are you all okay!?"

"Well, I am talking to you, aren't I!?" Kakashi yelled back. "Now jump!"

Sakura hesitated, looking around. "Uh…"

"It's alright!" Kakashi yelled again.

Sakura just stared down with a skeptical look. _"Like a thousand meter drop would count as 'safe'…"_

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" she heard Naruto yell. "It's safe!"

Sakura's face soured even more. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders. _"If an idiot like him can survive that…it shouldn't be a problem for me!"_ Sakura backed up a bit, ran, and jumped like she was doing a cannonball at a pool. "ON SECOND THOUGHT, THIS WAS A REALLY BAD IDEAAAA-!" she screamed as she felt gravity take hold…

* * *

Sakura's scream came to a halt as the net caught her. "See?" Kakashi smiled, his eye closing. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"So…much…spinning…" she moaned as her eyes spiraled.

Kakashi sighed. "Help her stand up." Naruto and Sasuke helped support her by the shoulders as she got her bearings straight. "Now come on." Kakashi said. "We've got to get a move on." Kakashi leaped into the tree branches, Sasuke quickly following after him.

Naruto and Sakura, however, hesitated. _"I'm not at their level…"_ the two thought.

"Hurry up!" Kakashi called again.

"Uh…don't you think we should get to the ground level first?" Naruto asked.

"We're traversing by tree!" Kakashi called back. "It's safer when there are potential enemies on the ground, and it's faster than navigating the maze of trees down below. Plus, this will train your bodies and coordination!"

Naruto gulped. He breathed deep, and took a leap of faith. He touched down on the closest branch, but he felt his balance begin to give way. "WHOA-!" Naruto rapidly flapped his arms, eventually regaining his balance. Sakura did the same, landing a bit more gracefully. It seemed it was only the height getting to her.

"Get going, or we're leaving you behind!" Kakashi yelled.

Naruto gulped, and jumped again, Sakura doing the same. Thankfully, the forest was so dense that the distance between branches wasn't that great, and even this high up they were rather thick, ensuring a landing. After a while, Naruto got used to it. However, he was not as agile as Sasuke and Sakura, and as a result he was the last one in line…

* * *

Soon, the forest became a vast grassland. "Wow…" Naruto said in awe. The gold grass painted a beautiful contrast to the bright blue sky above.

"Kakashi-sensei, what now?" Sakura asked.

"Well, does anyone know a jutsu that allows you to fly?" Kakashi asked. He waited for a moment, and no one answered. "Didn't think so. So…we're going down." Kakashi simply jumped off his branch, and landed from a 10 meter drop without a hitch. "Get down safely, however you can!"

Naruto gulped; his teammates also began to sweat a little at the task before them. Slowly, they managed to get down as anyone else would, grabbing hold of branches and placing their feet carefully on the next. Eventually, they all made it down. Of course, Naruto slipped and fell on his back; good thing by then he was almost down. "Come on." Kakashi said, helping him up. "That took us about two hours. A seasoned chunin would have been able to get out of there in half an hour." Quickly, he stood in front of them again. "Now!" Kakashi rubbed his hands. "When we no longer have the safety of the trees, we still must use the environment to hide, even in broad daylight! Here, the grass is about a meter tall. So, we're going to run. Stay as low to the ground as you can!"

Kakashi leaned down and took off. None of them could see him from the grass. Sasuke looked at his teammates and shrugged. He took off, and the other two followed after him. Despite being half his height, their heads managed to poke through the grass while Kakashi successfully remained hidden. "Lower!" Kakashi called back. They all tried, but going lower was compromising their speed.

Naruto began to run on all fours, but stopped when a pebble hit him in the forehead. "Ow!" he winced as he rubbed it.

"If I want somebody to accompany me on all fours, I'll summon a dog!" Kakashi yelled back. "Now, back on your feet!" Naruto sighed, and did as he was told. It felt like they were running for an eternity, and their lungs began to burn. Still, they stayed focused as best they could.

As they were coming into a clearing, Kakashi raised his fist. "Stop!" As the genin skidded to a stop, Kakashi quickly looked around. Spotting a boulder, he quickly waved for them to hide behind it. "What's going on!?" Naruto shouted.

"Shh!" they all hushed him.

"The point of hiding is not to make noise, dobe!" Sasuke hissed.

Naruto crept behind the border of the boulder. Over the horizon, he could make out four shapes heading towards them. As they came closer, Naruto could see they were people. _"Ninjas…?"_ Naruto wondered. Soon, they were coming into view.

"Draw your kunai." Kakashi whispered. "Just in case."

Soon, the strangers were clear within their eyesight. Naruto, crouched behind a small hill, made out the best details of them he could. Like them, they seemed to be a four-man squad; an adult, and three others not much older than Naruto and his friends. The adult was dressed in a manner similar to most of the other ninja in the village Naruto saw, but his vest was colored beige. He also wore a white turban on his head, and had a slight scar on his lips. Naruto then turned his attention to the three teens. One seemed rather ordinary with dark clothes and a mop of brown hair, similarly shaped to Naruto's. However, his face was covered in stripes purple face-paint that connected to his lips. _"Weird…"_ Naruto thought. He noticed that he had something strapped to his back, wrapped in bandages. He had no clue what it could be. The next person was a girl, probably about 14, maybe 15. She was actually kind of pretty, sporting dirty blonde-hair tied into four ponytails in the back; two pointing up, and the other two pointing down. She was dressed in what seemed to be a purple kimono, and carried what seemed to be a large black stick on her back. Then there was the third, a young boy about Naruto's age. He was pale and thin, hinting that he didn't go outside to exercise much. His head sported spiky red hair. His clothes were brown, and he carried a large gourd on his back; judging by the size of it, Naruto would have thought the kid would have been exhausted carrying it, but he showed no such signs. And for some reason, he felt both drawn to him and repulsed at the same time. He seemed to have something red across his eye, but from the distance, Naruto couldn't make out specific details if it was kanji or a tattoo.

As he observed them, he saw the leader look his way. Panicking, Naruto ducked and held his hands over his mouth as he flattened himself to the ground. As the others observed the strangers, the leader signaled his squad to follow him as they ran across the grass. After a minute, Kakashi relaxed. "It's okay." He stood, and the others followed him.

"Who were they?" Sakura asked.

"Ninja, but not from around here." Kakashi said. "I couldn't be sure, but I think they were from Sunagakure."

"What are they doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know." Kakashi answered honestly.

"Well, it's a good thing they didn't see us!" Naruto smiled, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Of course they saw us." Kakashi said. Naruto nearly turned white at his answer. "However, we were not their mission nor a threat to them."

"I thought we had a treaty with Suna." Sasuke said.

"Very aware for your age, as usual Sasuke." Kakashi praised him. "We do have a truce with Suna, but that does not prevent them from coming into the country if they must. Still, whatever they're doing, it's clear their mission is within our land."

"Do we go back?" Sakura asked. "To tell the Hokage?"

"I'll send him a message when I have an opportunity." Kakashi answered. "But we can't go back. Not yet." Kakashi then took off. "I think you all had a good rest. Let's go!" The three moaned as they once again struggled to catch up with him as they dashed across the field, avoiding the path of the Suna nin that just passed by them.

* * *

Soon enough, night came. "Let's stop for now." Kakashi signaled his team. The three hunched over to catch their breaths, Sakura in particular falling to her knees. "Get some dry twigs for a fire. I'm going to message the Hokage about what we found earlier."

As the three did what they were told, the jonin cut his thumb with a kunai, and made three hand signs: The ram, enclosing one fist in the other, the snake, clenching his hands together, and then the Ox, interlocking his fingers perpendicular to one another. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Kakashi placed his hand on the ground, several markings appearing in a circle around Kakashi. And then, an explosion of smoke occurred, revealing a small dog in blue ninja garb.

"Eh, whaddya want?" it said as it scratched its ear.

Naruto and Sakura balked. "D-did that dog just talk!?" Sakura stuttered.

"Oh good." Naruto sighed, clutching his heart.

"What!?"

"It means I'm not crazy!" he huffed. Looking to her, he asked "Right?" Sakura just looked at him dumbfounded.

"This is Pakkun." Kakashi explained. "He is a summon animal; they are more like avatars representing the real thing. I have a contract with the dogs, and with the right blood sacrifice and chakra, I can summon any of them at any time and they will do what I require of them." Turning back to Pakkun, he said "I need you to deliver a message to the Sandaime for me."

"I got my pack on me." Pakkun said, turning his back to him to show the ninja. "Whenever you're ready."

Pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, Kakashi wrote and rolled his message up, placing it in the container. "Thank you." Kakashi reached into a pocket and gave him what seemed to be a treat. Without another word, Pakkun took off, much faster than a dog of his size and build should be able to run. "In exchange for doing my work, I must reward the animals I summon. For the dogs, it is usually rare treats; they're very food motivated."

"So, they work for food?" Naruto asked.

"Depends on the animal…and the summon." Kakashi answered. "But beware the animal you make a contract with. Because some are not as easy to please as others, and demand a high price for their services."

As they got the fire going, Kakashi looked to the sky. "Despite your rather sluggish start, we actually managed to make half-decent time in the end. We should be right on schedule now." Kakashi then pulled out a vial, dispensing several small pellets. "Here, eat these."

The three chewed. "Ack!" Naruto hacked.

"Just finish it." Kakashi ordered. "It will go down faster."

Though Sasuke and Sakura were more disciplined in this regard, Sakura still made funny faces as she tried to down it. "What is this, sensei?"

"Food pills." Kakashi said, shaking the vial. "They are packed with all the nutrients the human body needs for an entire day, minus water. They are easy to carry and take no time to eat."

"Couldn't you have made them taste better!?" Naruto yelled, taking a sip of his canteen.

"Rations never do. I promise you, when time is no longer of the essence, we can eat real food. But for now, this is what we're going to have until we have reached our destination." Kakashi then pulled out his futon. "Let's get some sleep. We're getting up early, so I want you to be up and at it by sunrise." Naruto and Sakura groaned, while Sasuke took his futon in silence. Soon enough, the four fell asleep.

* * *

The trek continued, Kakashi making them do various training exercises along the way. At the moment, he simply had them jogging across a trail in the grassland. It was probably not as rigorous as the other exercises he made them do, but after all they had been through, it felt as great a challenge as all the others. Of course, Sasuke was in the lead, though his face was turning red and sweating profusely.

"You-(huff)-won't be (huff) King of the Mountain for long, ya know? (huff)?"

Sasuke looked back to see Naruto catching up to him, though it seemed he would pass out any second. "You're actually keeping up." Sasuke noted. "Impressive."

"Hey, I'm going to be Hokage one day!" Naruto huffed back. "I can't play second-fiddle to you forever!"

"Hokage, huh?" Sasuke smirked. "Doubt it." He then genuinely smiled. "BUT…if by some fluke you DO make it…you can count on me to be your right hand man."

"What?" Naruto blinked.

"Only the best become kage." Sasuke said. "So if you manage, I trust it won't be a mistake."

Meanwhile, Sakura was lagging way behind, the new kunoichi barely able to keep them in her field of vision. _"How is this happening?"_ Sakura thought as she struggled for breath, focusing in particular on Naruto. _"He barely made it by accident. I passed with an average score at least!"_ She saw that they were getting farther away from her. _"They're so far away. So far away from me…"_ Sakura nearly collapsed, but forced herself back up. _"I gotta catch up. Gotta catch up…"_

* * *

Later, at sunset, they made camp again. As before, Kakashi ordered them to get firewood as he sat on a rock, reading his book. Somehow, Sakura found herself tagging along with Sasuke while Naruto went off on his own direction. As they gathered twigs, Sakura realized _"This might be a good time to get Sasuke-kun to notice me."_ She tried to speak, but her words died in her mouth. _"AGH! WHY IS THIS SO HARD!?"_ She tried again. "S-So, Sasuke-kun, uh, nice weather we're having!?" _"IDIOT!"_ she screamed at herself. _"That's what HE'S supposed to say!"_

"Didn't notice." Sasuke answered, continuing with his task.

Sakura sighed as she struck out. _"Okay, let's try something else."_ "Uh, did you see the trailer for the Princess Fuun movie?" Sakura asked, trying to gear the conversation towards entertainment. "I personally thought it gave away-"

"Don't watch movies." Sasuke answered.

Sakura nearly growled in irritation. _"Okay, come on! Your beau-to-be doesn't have any hobbies (yet)! Maybe…talk about ninjutsu! Yeah, a guy like him must be super into ninjutsu!"_ "Um, maybe you could teach me your fireball technique?" she asked. "I'd really like to learn it." That certainly was true.

Facing away from her, Sasuke's face turned from stoic to annoyed. "Well, I'll give you points for once caring about being a ninja." Sakura's face lit up. "But I'm in no mood to teach anyone anything."

Sakura's face soured at his comment. "You give Naruto tips all the time…"

"Well, an idiot like him needs an extra tip or two." Sasuke sighed as he walked away.

Sakura looked down at the ground sighing. _"Way to go, Sakura."_ She thought sarcastically.

Kakashi looked on from his sitting rock. _"She's a lot like you, Rin."_ He thought. _"Maybe a bit clumsier."_

* * *

The trek seemed to go on forever; the three genin still didn't have a clue where they were going. _"I'm getting tired of doing what he says without knowing why."_ Naruto thought.

They continued jogging up the hill, Kakashi still way ahead of them. When he reached the summit, he held up his hand. "We're here." Curious, the three forgot about their fatigue and picked up the pace to meet him. They saw a large, green island off in the distance. A village could be seen on the west side, but other than that, it seemed to be a pristine island. "THAT, is our destination." Kakashi clarified. "The Land of Waves."

"What exactly are we supposed to protect?" Naruto asked.

"First, let's rest for a bit." Kakashi said. "I want you all refreshed and presentable when we meet the client."

For half an hour, they drank water and lay down. Finally, they walked down the hill towards the coast, this time Kakashi not pestering them with a taxing exercise. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"Yes?"

"Doesn't the Land of Waves have a ninja village of its own?" she asked. "We traveled such a long way; surely, hiring us from so far away is inconvenient for them when they could have asked for local help."

"Ah." Kakashi said, nodding in understanding. "Good question, Sakura. In this case, no. In ancient times, the countries on the mainland would have an army of samurai or ninja to protect them from their neighbors. The Land of Waves had natural protection from the water, being an island. Plus, the nation doesn't have any valuable natural resources nor is it in a strategic military location. However, times have changed. Naval tactics and technology have evolved, and the criminal underworld has eyed this island as a safe haven…creating problems for the locals."

Finally, they came upon a solitary boat on the shore, the boatman resting on the edge, his kasa covering most of his face. "Are you the ninja I'm waiting for?" he said as he took a swig of his sake.

"If we weren't, you wouldn't have an opportunity to ask that question." Kakashi answered.

Satisfied with the answer, the boatman stood, lifting his kasa and revealing an old man with a white goatee and hair. He also wore small glasses. However, Kakashi could tell the man was in good shape, even at his age. "The name's Tazuna. And I'm the client that hired you."

* * *

Tazuna steered the motorboat as the ninja hung at its sides. Naruto, however, looked rather perturbed. "I was hoping we were going to guard someone more…important." Naruto sighed. Sakura quickly punched him in the gut, causing him to keel over. "Oof!"

"Baka! That's no way to treat the client!" Sakura hissed.

"What?" Naruto said.

Sakura quickly pinched his ear and pulled him close. "IT'S CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE!"

"Ahh, you're hurting me!" Naruto flapped around.

Tazuna, observing the scene, groaned. "I may not be important by most standards on the mainland…but still, I was expecting a bit more for my protection." He then addressed the jonin at the front. "Hey! Didn't your Hokage get my message!?"

"The Hokage read it himself." Kakashi said, not bothering to look back. "Whatever his reasons are for sending us here, I trust him. Perhaps you should too."

Tazuna sighed. _"I hope you know what you're doing, ya spikey-haired fool…"_

"So, just what is it we're protecting exactly?" Sasuke suddenly asked. "It seems there's more to you than meets the eye."

Tazuna stayed silent for a moment. "Well, at least there's a sharp one among you." He then directed them to the left side of the boat. "Essentially, by protecting me, you're also protecting that."

They all turned to see a large bridge…or at least part of one. It stopped in the middle of the water, far away from the mainland. However, Naruto was still in awe. Pillars of steel supported the bridge several decameters above the surface, and Naruto could see from the machinery, people were still hard at work. It was unlike any bridge he had ever seen. "That there is my bridge." Tazuna said. "Well, more like WILL be my bridge. And I need to survive until it's completed."

Naruto blinked at his statement. "What is such a big deal about this bridge that someone would want you dead?"

Tazuna balked at his question. "Naruto!" Sakura hissed. "Just shut up!"

"That's enough, Naruto." Kakashi hushed him from the front. "I'm sure we'll find out more on the other side." Of course, Kakashi had quite a few ideas of what was going on with this man…

* * *

Up from above on one of the bridge's towers, a masked figure observed the boat. The only physical features that could be clearly discerned from the figure was the black hair flowing behind him. He wore a red, flowing kimono decorated with what seemed to be blue snowflakes, and his mask resembled an arctic fox with red tear lines down the face. The person in question also had a hair bun in the back of his(her?) head. Feeling he observed all he could from this vantage point, he sprinted off the ledge and dove off.

* * *

"Why don't we just waste him now, boss?" A rough-looking man in a dimly-lit room asked.

"If we do it ourselves, we'll only draw attention. Tazuna already has the people behind him; if mere Yakuza are found murdering the man who will save the economy of the island, the populace will fight back." A man explained as he signed a paper on his desk with blood pricked from his thumb. "If I am to continue my appearance as a legitimate businessman, we need to be careful. And patient." He then looked to the corner of the room, his dark glasses reflecting the poor light. "And that's what we have you here for, Zabusa-san. Because if the murder is the result of a ninja…no one would dare raise a peep."

A tall, built man stood off in the corner with his arms crossed. His raggedy, black hair reached down to his neck, sporting a green sleeveless muscle shirt and gray military pants. Like many ninja, he also wore a hiate around his head, several small lines like rain-drops carved into the metal, signifying his origin from Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist. However, a large scratch was etched across it, also showing him to be a rogue ninja; ninja who abandoned their village for personal gain. The only other notable physical feature was that his face below his nose was wrapped in bandages. Personally, he would rather not kill an old man. But, an assassin doesn't choose his own targets. The customer does. "I will begin shortly. I just need my apprentice to complete his report." He said. With that, he exited the room.

As he helped himself into the lounge down the hall, he stopped. "Zabusa-sama." A voice said, the fox-masked boy emerging from the shadows behind him.

"Haku." Zabusa said. "I take it Tazuna has hired help?"

"Yes, Zabusa-sama." Haku removed his mask, revealing a feminine face with red lips and sparkling blue eyes. "It seems Tazuna-san has hired ninja to guard him."

Zabusa rubbed his chin. "He likely can't afford very good ninja…unless someone did a favor for him. Tell me, could you make out any features of his protection?"

"Three children my age; genin, I presume." Haku answered. "However, an adult was with them as well. From what I could see, he wore a mask over his face and had silver hair. I would presume him to be of jonin rank."

Zabusa's eyes widened. Under his mask, he sneered. "It must be the White Fang, Hatake Kakashi…."

"Sir?"

"Prepare yourself, Haku." Zabusa walked to the room and picked up the handle of a very large sword, the blade resembling a cleaver and as long as his body. He slung it over his back with ease, as if it was a normal katana. "Hatake is one of the most famous jonins on the continent; I'm amazed he was never promoted to Hokage. Still, he is a worthy opponent."

"And our target?" Haku asked.

"We will finish him. But first, I want you to investigate this team. Discern their strengths and weaknesses, see if they hail from any clans worth noting. They will probably amount to nothing, but it's best to make certain."

"Yes, Zabusa-sama." Haku kneeled.

* * *

And that will be all for now!

Keeping in with the school theme, I'm having all the genin go to class while they are under a jonin's instruction. Of course, I had to put in Ibiki. I'm not positive about what else I can put him in, but I'm hoping to give him a larger role than in the original series. I really liked the problems he gave out during the chunin exam, and thought I would put more of a role on actual academics as well. Hopefully I can expand upon that beyond physics.

While they will occasionally still do community service, I'm making sure Kakashi puts an emphasis on training as well. I don't know if it was due to pacing, an unclear vision that Kishi didn't communicate or an intentional fault of his character, but now it really bothers me that Kakashi wasn't active in his students' development in the beginning (except for Sasuke). While I get he's not to be the best teacher, here I want him to at least try to be.

I've also changed the geography of Konoha a quite a bit. I get that in the original they get protection from the forest, but that wouldn't be enough (plus a lot of people seem to know where the village is, so what's the point?) I thought it would be fun to make the setting more fantasy-like, hence raising the village up on a plateau. It was also a good opportunity to have the three train to move like a ninja, with the tree hopping and the running with the arms back; I don't think much of it back then, but it's a bit odd that three pre-teens who were just learning how to become ninjas could fall into those movements so easily.

I've also altered the rules of the summons here. I recently saw on a blog on tumblr somewhere asking what the summon animals get in return. And I realized that was a very good question. For the dogs, they are already on good terms with people and generally only demand treats in return (they are only allowed to receive the award from the summoner). However, not all summons will be so easily compensated.

I've also introduced Team Gaara in this chapter, though they will not have a role in this arc. It's just a tease of things to come and have Naruto's friends encounter ninja outside of their village without resorting to hostilities (not yet anyway).

One other thing: the clients requesting protection. I think back then we just went with it when the client showed up to the Hokage's (or other Kage) doorstep and request help. But then it occurred to me: most of these people aren't ninjas. And these villages are supposed to be hidden…SO HOW THE HELL CAN THEY FIND THEM SO EASILY!? In this version, anyone can contact the ninja villages, but most people who have never been in a ninja village before cannot locate them so easily. For one, no one outside the village can know of their location, and if a client did try to go directly to them, whoever wants to murder them can either hit them before they receive protection, or worse, discover the village and cause a whole mess of other problems.

I thought it was also necessary to give an explanation to why these villages train children. Again, back then we just went with it back then knowing it would probably never work in real life. Of course, Part 2 then brought up these morally grey areas…and in the end did nothing to solve them just so they could be the next generation's problem. I hope the explanation suffices for now, and gives SOME justification.

As usual, if you have any other questions, let me know (preferably by a signed review or PM…it will be far easier to answer your questions that way).


	6. Wave of Assassins-Part 1

Hi everyone! I know it's been too long since the last update, and right now, I'm working on bringing these updates in faster! The downside is less words per chapter, but I think it will ultimately be better this way. I hope you enjoy what I'm giving you now, and Happy New Year!

* * *

"Why is that bridge so important anyway?" Naruto asked as he continued to stare in awe at it.

Tazuna sighed. "That bridge is going to connect our island to the mainland. With it, it will increase trade, growing our economy. People interested in doing business here will have an easier time getting to and from the island." Tazuna said. "We've always had ferrymen, but they can only carry so many people at a time. With a bridge, literally anyone can come in, and even allow our own people who work on the mainland a faster and more reliable path."

Naruto blinked. "Okay…that actually does make a lot of sense. Then why would anyone want to destroy it?"

Tazuna was silent for a moment. "For once you asked a good question." He grumbled. Soon, the shore was becoming clear. "Here we are." Tazuna parked the boat at one of the docks, a ferryman coming in to anchor it. "Welcome…to our humble country." Tazuna gestured them to disembark.

* * *

As they walked with him down the street, they saw "humble" was a nice way of saying poor. Most of the buildings were one story, consisting of wood and a metal roof. Many people were loitering about, most of which dressed in torn and dirty clothes. The streets were paved but rough, the infrastructure not well maintained, and stray dogs and cats were everywhere. Sakura heard of places like these, "shanty towns" she heard they were called. Naruto looked around, twisting his head left and right. Kakashi suddenly held his head steady. Naruto, still not paying attention to where he was going, walked right into Kakashi. "What!?" Naruto yelled in frustration.

"Try not to look like you're out of town."

"But we are out of town."

"Look around you, Naruto!" Kakashi hissed. "NO ONE here has any money to guarantee a meal the next day, and they all look hungry. If they see you're clueless walking these streets, they'll pick you as a target and take your money."

A kid with a hat suddenly bumped into Naruto and ran away as soon as he made contact. "HEY!" Naruto yelled back, taking the kid to be merely ill-mannered.

"Like so." Kakashi muttered.

Naruto suddenly felt a tad bit lighter. He patted himself, and upon feeling his right pocket, he realized it was empty. "I'VE BEEN ROBBED!" he screamed in panic.

Tazuna slapped his face. "I'm surrounded by morons!"

"Go get it." Kakashi ordered. "We'll be waiting for you." Naruto took off in the direction he saw the kid run off to.

* * *

The boy ducked around a corner and crouched behind a building. Taking a quick breath, he relaxed and began to look through the wallet, hoping it was a dumb rich kid he picked. However, all he found was a few yen. _"Well, better than nothing."_ He then pulled out a card, and his eyes quirked as he looked at the picture: the boy he had pickpocketed earlier painted his face white with red stripes, giving off one of the most ridiculous faces he had ever seen. Either this was a memory of a really bad audition for a Kabuki play, or some hilarious new disease he never heard of.

Suddenly, something from above dropped down on him, knocking him down the stairs. "OW, OW!" Finally, he reached the end, and groaned from the impact.

As he lay gripping his aching head, a hand picked up the wallet. His victim from before stood triumphantly over him. "That's what you get for messing with Konoha's Number One ninja! Naru-"The pickpocket quickly responded with a surprise kick right between the blonde's legs. "…TOOOO!" he squeaked in a high-pitched voice. As he collapsed to his knees, the pickpocket quickly got up and ran off. Naruto summoned all of his will power just to stand, his legs threatening to buckle under his weight. _"I think its best I don't tell the others about this."_ He thought sheepishly.

* * *

"You sure you're okay?" Sakura asked the returned Naruto as they continued walking down the street after Kakashi and Tazuna.

"I said I'm fine!" Naruto grunted.

"Walking bowlegged isn't 'fine'." Sasuke dryly replied.

"Shut up, teme!"

"Here we are." Tazuna sighed. Finally, they came upon the client's house. It was…okay. It definitely needed a remodeling, but the wood and roof was solid; he also had glass windows confined with iron bars. Sakura heard that many poorer places had windows like these; made it harder for thieves to break in. It wasn't an especially desirable house, but it was certainly more presentable than the neighboring residences. "Welcome home. My daughter should be getting dinner ready now."

Tazuna knocked on the door, and a minute later it was opened for him. "Papa!" His daughter, a black-haired woman exclaimed upon seeing him. "Welcome back!" she said as she wiped her hands with a dish towel.

"I was only gone for a few hours, Tsunami." He replied as he hung his kusa up. "Sweetie, these are the body guards that I hired. This is Hatake Kakashi." He motioned towards the jonin as he continued down the line. "This is Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura…and Naruto."

"Hey." Naruto waved as he forced a smile and resisted the urge to hold his groin.

The woman bowed, and turned to the other corner of the house. "Inari! Come say hello to your grandfather's guests!"

Someone bounded down the stairs, a boy a couple of years younger than them. He had black hair like his mother, and was wearing a blue T-shirt and black shorts. He looked unimpressed upon seeing them, but nonetheless bowed in respect…but upon getting a good look at Naruto's face, his eyes widened, as did the orange ninja's. "AHHH! YOU!" They yelled and pointed simultaneously.

"You two know each other?" Kakashi asked.

"He was the pickpocket!" Naruto yelled.

"Inari! Is this true!?" Tsunami yelled.

Inari said nothing as he ran back up the stairs. "Hey!" Naruto shouted as he went after him. "Get back here!"

"I'm so sorry!" Tsunami bowed to them. "We tell him not to do it, but-"

"It's alright." Kakashi said, holding up his hand. "I'm sure you're doing your best to discipline him, and Naruto did get his money back; as long as he doesn't try that on any of us again, we'll be okay."

Sakura did her best to conceal her suspicion. _"If his grandfather could hire us…why would he be a pickpocket?"_

* * *

Though Naruto caught up to Inari fairly quickly, the boy still reached his room first and slammed the door. "Hey!" Naruto slammed against the door. "Get back here!"

"YOU GOT YOUR MONEY! NOW GO AWAY!" he shouted from inside the room.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Naruto yelled back as he continued banging on the door.

"If you're looking for revenge, let it go." Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Come on; Tsunami-san's getting dinner ready. This will be our first real meal in days." Naruto wanted to protest, but the thought of having real food quickly overwhelmed his pettiness, as he followed Kakashi down the stairs.

* * *

Inari just breathed, relieved he left. _"Just my rotten luck."_ He thought. Looking up at his stand, he reached for a photo resting on it. Looking at the picture, he saw himself from two years ago, wearing a beige hat. To his right was his mother, leaning down at his level. To his left, his father, a burly man with spikey hair also leaned down on his shoulder. Looking at him, Inari struggled to hold back his tears. "Daddy…"

* * *

The ninja and Tazuna's family was gathered at the dinner table, each having a modest helping of the local fish and rice. "I already know the details of our mission, and the nature of your problem." Kakashi said later that night after dinner. "However, I kept my genin in the dark. Now that we're in the privacy of your own home, perhaps you would feel comfortable explaining your situation to them?"

While Sakura and Sasuke listened intently, Naruto and Inari just glared daggers at one another. "I told you about my bridge." Tazuna said. "You're simply protection from the Yakuza until I can complete it."

"The Yakuza want to destroy your bridge?" Sasuke asked. "No offense, sir, but while I can buy the local mafia wanting to extort you, it would be counter-productive for them to stifle your country's growth. What would enrich the rest of the population would prove profitable for them as well in the long run."

Sakura just looked at Sasuke in shock. _"Wow! I never knew Sasuke-kun was so smart!"_

Tazuna snorted. "Looks like your bunch of kids has a brain among them." He muttered to Kakashi. Turning back to the rest of them, Tazuna said "It's not so much the Yakuza themselves that's bothering me. They're just being paid to stifle my mission. It's the man above them who concerns me: Tsume Gato."

"Gato?" Naruto asked. "Isn't that 'cat' in some weird language?"

"Baka." Sakura sighed, no longer surprised by his lack of awareness. "Gato is one of, if not THE, richest man on the continent."

"It's true." Tazuna answered affirmatively. "He's the one that does not want my bridge built."

"But Gato is a billionaire." Sakura said. "Wouldn't he also benefit if your nation's economy improves? He could invest in- "

"You're thinking of Gato's legitimate businesses." Tazuna cut her off. "Don't let his public appearance fool you; he's a butcher and a thief!" He slammed his fist on the table, shaking it hard enough to startle even Tsunami. Tazuna blinked as he caught himself. "Sorry." He sighed as he withdrew his hand. "I…I don't wish to really explain the details…but Gato has made his money by extorting others, his corporation a front for his real income: protection money, illegal goods and the black market. Before, our nation was isolated and poor, but we survived. We had pride. However, Gato soon took hold where his thugs extorted us at every turn. We pay, with cash, food, or other…. ways." He stopped. "Anyway, Gato gets money off of our people. Our military is non-existent, and he has members of our own council under his pay-roll to look the other way."

"Why doesn't the Daimyo do anything!?" Naruto suddenly shouted.

"The Land of Waves doesn't have a Daimyo, Naruto." Kakashi explained calmly. "If you're talking about ours, the Land of Waves is not part of the Fire Empire. Politically speaking, he has no reason to intervene."

"And in the eyes of the rich and powerful, he has done nothing wrong." Tazuna finished. "He silences snitches, and if someone high up does find out, he has the money to keep them quiet." Tazuna groaned as he took a bite of his food. "You're too young to understand politics, kid. You're in for quite a shock when you grow up."

"You think Gato will really stop?" Kakashi asked. "Even if you complete the bridge?"

"Once we open the bridge, we'll have access to the mainland like never before. Even if Gato decides to cause a ruckus, other interests will catch wind and if nothing else, give him a major headache. It wouldn't be as inconsequential as before." Tazuna then coughed. "Unless, of course, you're planning on…"

"That is not what we signed up for." Kakashi interrupted, raising his hand sternly. "We were hired for body guard work, not an assassination." Naruto and Sakura gulped at the suggestion. Yes, they had it bored into their skull to fight to kill…but to kill someone on the spot? A man who probably didn't even know how to fight or defend himself on his own? That…

"If by chance he shows up to kill you himself, that's his life on the line. But I will not endanger my team any more than necessary." Kakashi answered firmly.

"I'm sorry." Tazuna sighed, waving him off. "You're right. You're guarding my family; that is exactly what I told the Hokage." As he returned to his dinner, he thought " _I should have been more specific to the hothead."_

"If this guy is so dangerous, what's stopped him from coming after you?" Naruto suddenly asked. Inari suddenly slammed his fists against the table. The boy refused to look up as his fists tensed, everyone silent from the tension filling the room. Finally, he stormed off. "What?" Naruto blinked.

"Who said he hasn't already?" Tazuna growled, clearly displeased with the blonde kid.

"Naruto, you baka!" Sakura hissed as she bonked him across the head again.

Tazuna could do nothing but palm his face. " _We're doomed!"_

* * *

The next day, Kakashi took the three to guard Tazuna. Well, more like trail Tazuna. "Shouldn't we be with him?" Naruto asked as they watched him walk to work from the rooftop of a building.

"If we're right there with him, we'll be more vulnerable. Whoever's targeting him would start by attacking us first, and we'll all fall…leaving Tazuna at their mercy. What's more, if we're out there in plain view, anyone targeting him will just wait for us to leave. In order to truly protect Tazuna, we cannot let our presence be easily seen. Up here, we will be able to see them before they see us. And IF they attack…we can get the drop on them and end the threat." Kakashi then thought _"If we're lucky."_

"You make it sound like someone worth fearing is trying to kill him." Sasuke muttered.

"We must always consider the worst-case scenario, Sasuke." Kakashi answered. Staring down, he noticed he was getting far away. "Let's catch up. We mustn't let him stray too far away from us."

* * *

The Team eventually followed Tazuna to the bridge. If Naruto thought it was impressive from the water, he was truly amazed by what was happening up top on the actual bridge. He marveled at the construction crew hard at work, with machines and tools he never saw before. The bridge also wasn't just a road; Naruto noticed the middle was being spaced to make room for what seemed to be parks. "We're working on making the bridge both a link for trade AND a tourist attraction." Tazuna explained. "We want to have places for newcomers to take a break and relax." As he helped himself inside his small office in a trailer, he put on his hard hat. "Well, looks like it's not going to be as fun as I feared today." He shrugged. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Kakashi nodded. Looking around, he saw one of the parks had been filled with grass and tall oak trees. "Excuse me, would you mind if we trained over there?" he pointed to the area. "I'll have one of my dogs watch you. If something happens, I'll be there." Kakashi quickly cut his thumb (which worried Tazuna there for a second) and a rough-looking shepherd dog, roughly the size of a large ram, appeared. "Look after him." Kakashi ordered the canine. The dog growled, but it was clear he was following his summoner's orders.

Kakashi had his students follow him towards the park. The trees were not nearly as large as the ones that surrounded their village, but they were still a good two stories at least. "The three of you managed to climb trees like you normally would without breaking your neck. I believe it's time you knew the proper way to climb like a real ninja." Kakashi approached a tree, and placed his foot on it. And then the next. And the other after that. He was literally walking up the tree, like he had glue under his feet!

Naruto and Sakura could only in shock. Sasuke, however, didn't show that same surprise. _"Finally."_ He thought. _"Something useful."_

Finally, Kakashi reached the highest branch that could support his weight, and slid to the other side, hanging upside down like a bat. "Whoa, that's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes." Kakashi smiled under his mask. "This IS cool." Kakashi suddenly released his hold (somehow) and came down to the ground, landing perfectly on his feet. "As ninja, you are expected to maneuver in all terrains at top speed and efficiency. Before the time of chakra, we used hooks attached to gauntlets, such as tekko kagi. However, upon the discovery of chakra, we have found it was better to channel that chakra into our feet, and used it to increase our gravitational attraction to other objects." Though it went over Naruto's head, he was still all in for this and ready to follow his teacher's instructions.

"Now, I want you three to climb these trees." He said, pointing to three that seemed to be about the same in height. "Because you are all new at this, I suggest you try a running start." The three got ready. "Look inside of you. Feel the energy, like we've practiced every Friday. Now, I want you to push that energy into the soles of your feet." The three's faces scrunched in concentration. "Run up the trees as fast as you can; no reaching for the branches. When you feel yourself about to fall, cut the bark with a kunai, and mark that as your limit to break. Be careful of how you land." The three opened their eyes, looking at the trees ahead of them. "Ready…" Kakashi raised his hand "…GO!" he shouted, throwing it down.

The three ran towards their trees. Naruto ran straight up. On his second step, he felt something stick to his foot. _"Holee-! It's working!"_ However, upon his third step, that sticky attraction was gone as his foot slid down. "AH!" Naruto quickly cut the bark as he fell onto the back of his shoulders. "Ow…"

Sasuke fared better; upon his sixth step, his grip loosened. Landing on one knee, he scoffed at his progress. _"Not good enough."_

The two boys looked to their kunoichi teammate, expecting her to have done about the same as them…but she was not on the ground with them. Looking up, they saw she was going higher. She was running at a steep slope, but it seemed gravity was ignoring her as she didn't fall. As she reached the top, her foot slipped. "AHH!"

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto ran towards her tree, but Sakura never touched the ground. Digging deep, she kept her foot in place, as her feet stuck to the tree, holding her at a nearly ninety-degree angle. Her descent halted, she cautiously placed her other foot higher, and walked up to the top. "Yay." She smiled, sticking her tongue out and displaying the victory sign and throwing the kunai down to the ground.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed. "That was awesome, Sakura-chan!" _"Though I gotta admit, I am a bit jealous."_ He thought silently.

Sakura nodded, and looked to Sasuke. He looked at her, and just looked away, scowling. Sakura frowned. _"Even if I do something right…Sasuke-kun is still so cold to me…"_

"Well done, Sakura!" Kakashi congratulated her sincerely. "It seems that despite your low chakra capacity now, you have excellent control over it." Sakura quickl, descended the tree, now confident in her agility and new-found skills. "I think there's no point in you sticking around here since you've done exactly what I wanted. You and I will watch over Tazuna-san. You two, get to it!" he ordered his male genin. The two boys moaned as the two left.

The two staring at each other, they prepared for a challenge. "I'll get to the top before you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"In your dreams!" The two resumed…

* * *

An hour later, Tazuna announced to the two that he needed to leave to sort out some finances. As Naruto and Sasuke had not made much progress in their training since then, Kakashi and Sakura decided to accompany him. As before, Kakashi and Sakura kept watch from the rooftops. For the most part, nothing noteworthy happened. One thing that caught their attention was when a young girl in a pink kimono, carrying a carrying pole across her shoulder with buckets of flowers walked up to him. She made her sales pitch, Tazuna turned her down. She politely went on her way. Nothing that seemed to warrant alarm, but Sakura could swear that the girl looked up at them before going on her merry way. If only she knew Kakashi silently confirmed her suspicion.

Sakura went back to keeping an eye out for everything, when Kakashi gripped her shoulder. "Look over there." He motioned towards the northeast side.

Sakura saw what seemed to be a gang of Yakuza walking down the alley. And they were about to cross paths with Tazuna. "You think it's trouble?"

"He said Gato was hiring Yakuza to harass him." Kakashi reminded her. "I'll handle them. You keep your eye on Tazuna." Sakura nodded as Kakashi leaped across the rooftops.

* * *

However, it seemed the Yakuza reached their target first as they immediately accosted the old man."I told you thugs, I don't have any money!" Tazuna shouted back.

"A solid blue-collar worker like you?" their apparent leader asked as he swung a wooden sword over his bak. "I'm sure you don't have a lot…but you've got some."

Tazuna growled, narrowing his eyes. "This isn't about my money, though…isn't it?"

"Nope." The leader smirked.

He was about to signal one of his flunkies, when something red and pink collided into him and knocked him down. "Tazuna-san!" Sakura said, pulling out a kunai and putting the senior behind her. "Get behind me!" Though she put on a brave face, in truth, she was terrified; it took everything she had to move that one man, and she wasn't certain if she did any real damage. Now, she was facing a whole mob of them! One mistake, and it was over for her!

"Heh. That's cute." The yakuza leader sneered as he dusted himself off. "Move along little girl; I'm actually a pretty nice guy, and I don't like beating up on kids. I'll let you go and forget this happened." Sakura said nothing as she tensed up. Sighing, the leader waved her direction. "Beat her."

One ran forward with a stick at her. She ran into him, neutralizing the swing and punched him in the stomach. Though she caused some pain, she felt her fist bounce back almost immediately. She was about to retaliate, when someone kicked her down. Before she knew it, the rest were all upon her. "Ahh!" Sakura tried to get up, but the various kicks and punches kept her down.

"Let her go, you animals!" Tazuna ran forward and punched one across the face. Immediately afterwards, two grabbed his arms and restrained him.

"Now you've done it, old man!" The yakuza turned on Tazuna and began gathering around him.

By some miracle, Sakura was still conscious. She looked at Tazuna, about to be hurt. _"No…he's under my protection! I can't let this happen!"_ Gripping her kunai, she let out a scream.

One of them turned, and was met with her sandal's sole in his face. It was enough to make him fall over, a single tooth bouncing out of his mouth. "Waste this little bitch!" he yelled as he held his mouth. One took a swing with his bokken, which Sakura ducked under and retaliated with shuriken in his arm. "Agh! The others ganged up on her, but Sakura's seemingly berserker rage managed to throw them all off. One went down hard from a toe-scoop to his groin, another was forced to drop his weapon when Sakura embedded her kunai into his shoulder. Whatever happened before, this gang-up unleashed a new side of Sakura that not even she was certain lived inside of her. "Come on!" one said as he helped his nakama up. "Let's get out of here!" Others followed suit.

One by one, the yakuza abandoned their prey and retreated. Tazuna took a look at Sakura. "Are you alright?" Sakura was now hunched over on her knees, covered in cuts and bruises and panting heavily. Tazuna stared at what was before him. _"I asked for Hiruzen's help…to put someone's kid through this?"_

"Well done." Kakashi emerged from the alley, carrying one Yakuza over his shoulder and dragging another across the street, looking no worse for wear.

Sakura was about to say something, but Tazuna stepped in front of her and glared at Kakashi. "You were there the whole time!?" he shouted angrily.

"I never let my clients out of my sight." Kakashi replied nonchalantly as he discarded the two thugs.

"Your student, a little girl, was taking on armed men BY HERSELF you bastard! And you did NOTHING to help her!"

"Oh, it was certainly brave of you, letting her protect you!" Kakashi snapped, suddenly grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off his feet like he weighed nothing. "You think those nobodies were bad?" he asked as he eased the man back onto his feet. "When she grows up, she will be facing ninja and other warriors that will chew these men up like gum and spit them out. And I won't always be there to protect her, nor can she grow if I keep helping her each time she has trouble. She and the others will eventually have to face killers by themselves. Better to start with normal men; the first battles are always the hardest…" Coming down from his little tirade, he turned his attention back to Sakura. "How are you feeling, Sakura?"

Sakura winced as she put on the toughest face she could muster. "I…I'm fine, sensei…"

She tried walking towards him before she stumbled. Kakashi helped her stand. "Easy."

Tazuna sighed. "We're going to the doctor."

"I understand you have important business to attend to. I'll take care of Sakura as soon as we are able…."

"Screw it. She's going to the doctor." Tazuna hissed. "I'm the client. I can't tell you how to raise your students." He grabbed hold of Sakura's shoulder and pulled her towards him. "…but I can order you where to go. And I'm ordering that we go to the doctor." He looked down on her. "He's a friend of mine. Won't charge a thing."

Kakashi sighed. "Fair enough. As long as it's your preference, I think this works out for both of us…"

* * *

"You're going to be fine. A few bandages and you should be right as rain within a day." The doctor said. Sakura nodded as she held her arm out. The doctor pulled out wraps, smearing a balm all over it. As he wrapped her cuts and bruises, Sakura hissed. "Easy." The doctor assured her. "The sting means it's working." Sakura held still as he patched her up. "What were you doing to get this girl into trouble, Tazuna-san?" the doctor asked.

Tazuna just sighed. It wasn't wise to shout that you hired ninjas, even to close friends. "Just do your job."

"Favor, you mean." The doctor corrected him as he finished wrapping Sakura up. "You get paid for a job. Nowadays, favors are all I ever do for anyone around here." He mumbled.

As he left to organize his equipment, Sakura turned to Tazuna. "Um…Tazuna-san?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"People who hire us normally pay a fee, depending on the mission." Sakura said out of the blue.

"Yeah, that's how it goes." The bridge-builder answered non-chalantly.

"Sakura…" Kakashi warned her.

"Yet it seems, you, plus everyone around here, barely make enough to live." Sakura continued. "Even C-class missions can be expensive for high-class citizens. Yet this doesn't seem to be a problem for you." Tazuna was rendered silent by Sakura's accusation before she had to spell it out. "Why would the Hokage approve this mission? Or rather…HOW did you get him to approve this mission?"

Tazuna looked nervous as he turned to Kakashi for help. "Go ahead and tell her." Kakashi shrugged. "I already know."

Tazuna sighed as he explained. "Truth of the matter is…Hiruzen and I are old friends."

* * *

 _53 years ago…_

 _Tazuna sighed as he waited for the fish off the dock to bite. Dressed in nothing but a green t-shirt, dark blue shorts and a straw hat, he was a natural for living off the coast. No one said it would be easy though. "Aw man, come on, bite already…" The key to fishing was to relax; Tazuna, like most dock men, sat down with his legs hanging off the edge, his feet barely avoiding the surface. Suddenly, he felt a tug on the line. "Finally!" Tazuna stood up and tugged…and nearly fell over. "Ugh! This one's tough!" He struggled more, but whatever he snagged refused to be moved so easily. "What the hell did I snag, a Great White!?" He pulled more, finally making some headway, though not without great effort. "I better not have snagged a log after all this trouble…" Finally, with one last tug, he saw his prize: a boy, about his age! "What the-!?" The boy was wearing a brown sash with a fishnet shirt underneath; his body was littered with shuriken and other sharp objects. His hook managed to catch him! "HELP!" Tazuna yelled back onto the island. "Somebody, help!"_

* * *

 _The young ninja hissed as he tried to sit up. "Lie down." A woman said as she eased him back into the bed. "You're lucky you snagged my son's line." Hiruzen looked further down the room, seeing the boy she mentioned leaning against the wall at the far end. Again the ninja hissed as the woman applied a balm to his chest. "Even luckier you managed to stay alive until he could find you. You were covered in spikes and all sorts of things everywhere. I'm still shocked there was someone left to save after all we just saw."_

 _It took a while for the boy to answer. "…thank you." He finally whispered. Then, stronger, he said "I have to get back."_

" _Back to where?"_

" _My team. My village. They need me." He repeated._

" _Well, you will do them no good if you try to go out like this. You need your rest. And when you can walk again…well, we'll help you find your friends any way we can."_

" _Careful." The boy warned her. "There might be others looking for me. And they're not friendly."_

 _She looked at him, and nodded in understanding. Then she turned to Tazuna. "Sweetie, he'll be having your bed for the time being."_

" _What!? But Moom-!"_

" _No buts, young man!" she chastised him. "You brought him here, and now he needs our help!" Patting him on the head, she said "I've got the extra futon out, alright? It will just be for a little while."_

" _But why can't you let him have your bed?"_

 _He was suddenly cut off with a sharp punch across the head. "HE'S STAYING IN YOUR ROOM!" she growled, her voice dropping a few octaves to the point she was indistinguishable from a bear. "UNDERSTAND!?"_

 _Tazuna froze and trembled in fear. "Yes ma'am." He squeeked._

 _His mother's mood did a 180 and smiled at him. "You sleep well, honey. And play nice."_

 _Soon, both Tazuna and the genin settled into their new beds. "Thanks a lot." Tazuna muttered._

" _Hey. You were the one who pulled me out in the first place."_

 _This caused a vein to pop in Tazuna's forehead. "Don't remind me!" he hissed._

 _The genin sighed. "Sorry. I'd move if I could."_

" _Yeah, yeah." Tazuna conceded. "Sorry. It's just…different."_

" _Change can be hard." The genin said. "At least, that's what my sensei tells me."_

 _Tazuna just stared at the door. "Your sensei sounds like a wise man."_

" _He can come off like that." The ninja smiled. Then, he sighed with exasperation. "Most of the time, he acts like a complete fool."_

 _Now this caused Tazuna to raise an eyebrow. "Oh-?"_

" _He has hopes of becoming a comedian after he retires from being a ninja. Can't say it's looking good for him." Tazuna began to snicker, before it became full-blown laughter between the two. For a moment, at least; the genin had to hiss as his ribs refused to cooperate. "Owowow…" he groaned._

" _Sorry, sorry!" Tazuna waved. Giving him a moment to calm down, Tazuna finally felt at ease to lower his guard. "I'm Tazuna, by the way."_

" _Sarutobi." The ninja replied. "Sarutobi Hiruzen."_

 _Forgetting it was nighttime, the two began to chat away…_

* * *

"We were friends ever since." Tazuna finished. "And I requested this mission…as a favor. Sorry if I wasn't forthcoming about it." Tazuna said. "But I really do appreciate that he sent you four over here."

Sakura smiled. "No, it's fine. I just wanted to know, that's all."

As Sakura got back on her feet, Tazuna whispered to Kakashi "I trust you're able to do your job fine, but these three? They're the same age from when I met Hiruzen, and she barely won against a squad of Yakuza."

"They're still learning." Kakashi whispered back. "Besides, you haven't seen what my two boys are capable of."

"I sure hope they're as good as you say they are, because if I know Gato, he has some real heavy hitters lined up." He warned him. "Those crooks? They are probably just the warm-up."

* * *

It was common in Wave to see vendors walk by foot to scavenge the streets, looking for anyone who would buy their merchandise. What seemed to be a flower girl carried beautiful snow flowers in two baskets on her carrying pole. Despite the long distance she traveled, she didn't appear to be tired. She eventually made her journey to the bridge under construction. Though she could not cross over to the mainland, the parts deemed stable enough were open to the public. She made her way up, briefly asking the construction workers on break if they wanted to make a purchase, almost all of whom turned her down.

As she neared the end, she saw two boys in one of the parks. One dressed in an orange track suit, the other in a blue shirt and shorts. Both were resting against the trees, clearly exhausted from a long workout. The girl took notice, and walked into the park, approaching them. Without saying a word, she took out some flowers from her bucket. "We don't have any money." Sasuke raised his hand (of course he was lying) to stop her.

"For you, free of charge." She replied as she placed the flowers at his legs. "Whatever boys like you are working on, you need as much encouragement as possible."

She then stared at Naruto, who seemed to be out cold. Slowly, she began to reach for his hiate. Sasuke, getting nervous, secretly reached for his kunai. When her fingers came close, Naruto seemingly jolted awake and caught her hand. "HEY!" he huffed, relaxing upon seeing who he stopped.

"Well, you're not completely hopeless." Sasuke sighed as he relaxed.

"Sorry." The flower girl said as she reached back for her snow flowers. "I only wished to bring you good luck."

Naruto blinked. "Oh." Reaching for them, he replied "Thank you." He then took a good look at her. She was quite pretty, with pale skin, dark eyes, and long, black, flowing hair. Her pink kimono also upped the pretty factor. The blond ninja began to blush profusely. "I-I'm Naruto by the way."

"Haku." The girl smiled, bowing. "What could you be doing to wear yourself out so much?"

"Oh, we're ninja in training!" Naruto smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hissed.

"What?" Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "The hiate are a dead giveaway!" he pointed to the headband.

Sasuke wanted to retort, but to his annoyance and utter shock…he couldn't. Naruto actually had a good point! "Damn it!" Sasuke shot up, and looked at his tree. He had about six marks on the tree, showing that he managed to climb about 3 meters before falling off. Sighing, he began to quickly walk up the bark, suddenly jumping off at the top of his highest mark.

"Looks interesting." Haku said.

Handing her jug of water to Naruto, the ninja greedily drank it (forgetting that the girl probably had her lips to it and he was doing the same). "Thanks. I needed that." He sighed, handing it back and wiping his mouth.

"So, you're training?" Haku asked.

"Yup! Just you wait, you're never going to find a stronger ninja than me one day!" Naruto bragged.

Haku smiled back. "I've no doubt." She said as she brushed her hair away. "May I ask you something?"

"Ask away!" Naruto enthusiastically said.

"Remember!" Sasuke called as he managed to add another mark. "Secrets!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto hushed him.

"Tell me, do you have someone to get stronger for?"

Naruto was about to answer, only to find himself struggling. "Uh…well…no not really." He shrugged, scratching his head.

"I heard that when you have someone to fight for, that's when you truly become strong."

Naruto began to answer, though he wasn't confident if it would count. "…Well…I had a primary shinobi instructor back at home."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He's pretty strict, but he's a good guy. I helped him out one time…though I don't think I became strong." Naruto chuckled. "The guy giving him trouble was kind of an idiot, and I was just too clever for him."

The two shared some friendly laughter. "Well, however you help those close to you out, that is becoming strong." Haku looked to the sky, seeing the sun had begun to turn to the other side. "I better get back to my route." She said, picking up her carrying pole. "It was a pleasure to meet you, uh…"

"Just Naruto." He said. "I don't have a surname, so don't worry about coming off as impolite."

"Neither do I. So don't you worry either." She bowed. As she turned around, Naruto started to check her out. As if sensing what he was doing, she suddenly said "Oh, just so there's no confusion or trauma if we meet again…" Haku began. "…I'm a boy."

Naruto's jaw dropped, and his face turned white as he watched him (her?) walk off. _"I-Impossible!"_ he screamed in his mind.

Sasuke, having overheard the conversation, couldn't help but smirk. "Well, better luck next time." He said. "Maybe you'll have more luck with your tree!"

Naruto turned to see his three marks on the tree, less than 2 meters. "Damn-!" With that, he got to work.

* * *

Night came, and Team 7 was once again gathered at Tazuna's dinner table, though it could hardly be routine. "Sakura-chan!?" Naruto cried out as he observed the bandages all over her. "What the heck happened to you!?"

Sakura chuckled nervously, scratching her head. "Just a little tussle, that's all. You should see the other guys." Sakura answered. She was actually quite flattered that Naruto would show such concern for her. She looked to Sasuke, who seemed disinterested. That…well, that hurt. _"He acts like he doesn't care."_

"Dinner's ready, everyone!" Tsunami called.

Once more, a serving of fish and rice was given to every guest and family member. It started normal enough, but Sakura noticed Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be trying to eat more than the other boy. Quickly they finished their bowls, and held them out to Tsunami. "Seconds, please!" they called. Seeing that one called from more food, they glared daggers at each other.

"Naruto, Sasuke!" Kakashi scolded them. "You ate all the food you could, and eating more will not help with your training tomorrow!" he yelled. "Our guests are feeding us more than they can afford, and you will appreciate what they DO feed you!"

Naruto and Sasuke relented. "Well, if you need to eat just to be strong, I think my grandpa got a raw deal." Inari muttered.

"What would you know about being strong!?" Naruto yelled slamming his fist on the table. "We're doing our best to get stronger right now, so if you think you can do a better job, feel free to step up to the plate!"

"I don't have to!" Inari yelled. "I already know you're not strong enough, NONE OF YOU ARE!"

"WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT, YOU BRAT!?" Naruto yelled back.

"IF YOU'RE SO STRONG AND MIGHTY, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN PAPA DIED!?" The room fell dead silent. "WHO PROTECTED HIM THEN!?" With that, Inari pushed himself away from the table and ran up to his room.

Naruto was just stunned silent, the words getting to him. Sakura suddenly punched him across the head. "Naruto, HOW DARE YOU!?" she shouted.

"Sorry!" he whined.

Even Sasuke spoke out against him. "You should have just ignored him, dobe. You can't please everyone!"

Tazuna sighed. Suddenly, he got up, walking towards the cabinet to grab a lantern. "I think there's something you all need to see."

* * *

Tazuna led the team down the dark streets. Though they didn't want to admit it, the streets of the Wave village were far scarier at night. The obvious poverty around them made them fear they were going to be ganged up on by thieves, even with their intense training. Sakura in particular was most fearful; even though she managed to drive off a whole gang of yakuza, it still taxed her considerably. She wasn't certain if she could manage it again. Her first instinct was to cling to Sasuke, genuinely afraid for her life, but she held back. She got to know him enough that he did not like weakness.

Sasuke, by contrast, was calm. He had already dealt with something worse on a night much like this. He stopped when he saw a familiar silhouette on the rooftop. Even from the distance, he could make out a short pony tail blowing in the wind. And the figure's eyes…were red. This caused Sasuke to stop, his normally bored expression widening in panic. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke blinked as he looked to his teammates, then back to the roof where he saw the shadow. It wasn't there anymore. "…it was nothing…" he mumbled as he caught up with the others.

Naruto also shared a similar fear as Sakura. He wouldn't show it, putting on his best neutral face (which was still clearly nervous). Soon, they left the village as they entered a forest. "Aw, come on." Naruto whispered under his breath. "It's even darker in there."

"Tazuna-san, are you sure this is safe?" Sakura asked.

"It doesn't matter." Kakashi answered nonchalantly, trailing the three. "He hired us as body guards, so it should all be fine. Right?" Sakura and Naruto repressed a groan. It was clear Kakashi only said that to assure Tazuna.

"Here we are." Tazuna said as he shone his lantern on a large cross. Naruto looked at it, but didn't immediately know what it was. "Isn't that supposed to be some kind of religious symbol?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes." Kakashi answered. "But a cross of this size has another purpose."

"What?"

Sasuke provided the answer for him. "Torture. And humiliation. You nail an enemy's hands to the sides and put him up for all to see, or to do with as they please." Naruto looked straight at it, gulping.

"Remember when I told you that Gato secretly has a hold on us?" The genin nodded. "We used to simply accept it. You pay your 'protection money', and you could usually get by. At least, that's what we used to believe. Once we put our proverbial tails between our legs, he demanded more. And that's when people started getting hurt."

"Why didn't you just stand up to him!?" Naruto demanded. "You…you can't just let someone like that walk over you like that! It's not right!"

Tazuna looked at Naruto, his expression a bit hard to read. "We tried. Or at least, someone tried." Tazuna took a deep breath as he remembered him. "My son-in law."

Sakura blinked. "You mean Inari's father?"

"Yes." Tazuna nodded. "Kaiza was something of a goofball, but he was proud, and did everything in his power to provide for his family, always bragging about his two strong arms." Tazuna's scowl then broke out into a small smile. "Inari really looked up to him. He taught him how to stand up to bullies, how to fish…and how, despite how little we had, how we can find happiness in everything around us."

"He sounds like a good guy." Sakura agreed.

"It was around the time Gato got more serious about his criminal empire. It was at that time I realized we needed to connect with mainland economically. Of course, Gato didn't want to put up with that, but he couldn't afford to kill me just yet; he didn't want a valued community member like me to become a martyr. Instead, he just had some of his goons to beat me. I got hurt pretty bad, and Inari was greatly upset about it. I don't remember very well what happened afterwards, but apparently Kaiza went to confront Gato personally."

Naruto smiled genuinely. "Sounds like a hero."

"Well, I don't know about you, kid…but to me, you gotta win to be considered a hero. Kaiza…didn't."

"So they killed him." Sasuke said.

"Yes. But not immediately. They left him for dead, right on that cross." Tazuna pointed to it. "Normally, when people crucify an enemy, they nail their hands to the cross, just like you said. However, Gato had him tied to the post instead…because they severed his arms before leaving him there." Even Kakashi was stunned silent. "Kaiza always prided himself on his 'two strong arms'. And Gato knew how much they meant to him, so he probably took them away out of spite. He died shortly after we got him down." Tazuna breathed. Turning to face the ninja all in the eye, he growled "NOW do you see what you're up against? Even if you've got the strength to take him on, he will get to you in other ways. He knows how to crush a person's soul; after all, he's been doing it his entire life."

* * *

When the team returned to the house, Kakashi gathered them all in a room. He could tell one of them had something to get off his chest. "We should go out there and take him out!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke and Sakura silently nodded; they weren't as gung-ho as Naruto, but they still agreed with his general idea.

"That's not a good idea." Kakashi said flatly.

"He's extorting and murdering people!" Naruto shouted back. "HOW can that not be a good idea!?"

Kakashi rubbed his hand over his mask. "I take it none of you know of the Ninja Mission Clause?"

"I don't see what that has to do with this!" Naruto replied.

Kakashi answered anyway. "The Ninja Mission Clause was formed upon the creation of the Five Major villages and the Kages. It was dictated by the Daimyos as a compromise for the independence of the major villages, such as ours. They couldn't stop us from taking any mission…but they could stop us from overstepping our boundaries when on those missions. If we overstep the parameters of our mission, it could start an incident."

Naruto blinked. "What does this have to- "

"Think about it." Kakashi warned him sternly. "If the mission's goal was to take Gato out, he would have been dead as soon as I got here. And quite frankly, none of you would have been included in it." Kakashi continued. "Gato is a powerful businessman, however he may have obtained his wealth. He has powerful friends among the continent's upper classes. If we simply assassinate him when we were not ordered to, it could start talk of either refusing contracts with our village, or rally the Daimyo armies to attack. Even if we win the battle, we could very well lose our way of life."

Naruto was just shell-shocked at what their jonin leader told them. "I thought…"

"You thought what?" Kakashi said as he stood up from his chair. "We're mercenaries, Naruto. We offer our services to those who pay the price…usually." He said "We do what we do not to help people. We do what we do to survive. It's an ugly truth of this world; but the sooner you realize that, the better."

Naruto just looked away, unwilling to believe what he just heard. "It is probably BECAUSE of Gato's influence that the 3rd sent us to protect Tazuna rather than confront Gato outright; the political consequences could be huge. If he felt he had to return a favor to a friend, it was probably best to do so playing it safe." Looking at Naruto's face, he could see the anger and disappointment in him. Sighing, Kakashi tried to soften the blow. "Still, there is a high chance we will come into conflict with Gato, whether we like it or not." Kakashi reminded them. "If he makes the first move, officially we can't be held responsible for actions that got him killed." Kakashi stretched as he got up. "The futons are ready. I suggest we turn in for the night; I'm taking first watch. I've a feeling tomorrow is going to be a real doozy." Kakashi then patted Naruto's shoulder. "It will work out, Naruto. Either Gato backs off…or…" Kakashi stopped himself. "Well, let's just say you just might get what you asked for."

* * *

"I think we've let Tazuna go about his business for far too long." Gato growled, gripping his cane. "You said you were going to evaluate his protection before making your move." He addressed Zabuza. "Have you completed your…research?" he asked.

Zabuza smiled under his mask. "But of course. I know the main threat is the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. And one of his pupils is apparently an Uchiha."

"Should I know about them?" Gato asked, uninterested in those names.

"He comes from a well revered ninja clan." Zabuza answered. "I thought there no more of them. Still, those two will be the most worrisome to me. Nothing I can't handle, of course, but I can't afford to be overconfident."

"And the others?"

"Nobodies." Zabuza answered with confidence. "From what Haku has told me, she barely won against your measly Yakuza. And the other…is a bit of an idiot. I just had to be sure I had a proper understanding of all variables before I began the execution."

Gato nodded. "Then, I suggest you finally get to your job. How you go about this task is up to you." As Gato continued filling out some paperwork, he added "Oh, and take out his kids as well."

Zabuza's eye quirked. "That was not in the contract."

"It is now."

Zabuza sighed. "Very well. Women and children are double."

"WHAT!?"

"You can either retract back to just the old man, increase the payment…or find yourself a new assassin." Zabuza said. "But I must caution you; there aren't many out there better than me. And I can't promise you complete control over them either."

Gato could only stare at him in fury, squeezing his pen so hard that it cracked. "Fine." He relented. "But you better make good on your end of the bargain!"

Zabuza smirked under his bandages. "I intend to." He lightly bowed before walking away.

* * *

"We're attacking the family as well?" Haku asked within their private quarters.

"Yes." Zabuza nodded. "Gato intends to punish the old man completely for defying him in the cruelest way possible." He said. Scratching his chin in thought, he said "Still, with Hatake Kakashi protecting them, this will be difficult to accomplish."

"I will assist you, Zabuza-sama." Haku bowed.

"Not only will you assist me." Zabuza said as he kneeled to his level, lifting his chin to meet his. "I shall allow YOU the honor of the main kill."

* * *

The next day came; the three genin expected it to be a day very much like any other. They ate a meager breakfast of eggs and rice cooked by Tsunami, and brushed their teeth. At first, they believed that Naruto and Sasuke would simply return to the trees while Tazuna got to work with Sakura and Kakashi guarding him as before. As they approached their jonin standing by the door, Kakashi said "Let's try something different today." Turning to them, he said "Sasuke. I imagine you're further along the tree exercise than Naruto, am I right?" Sasuke nodded, while Naruto turned his head and snorted. "You'll come with me to watch over Tazuna at work. Naruto, Sakura: You're going to watch the family."

Sakura blinked. "Why the change, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just a feeling is all." He answered.

"Well, if that's your decision, fine by me." Tazuna sighed as he got his toolbox together. "If you've made up your mind, come with me. Otherwise, I'll leave you behind." Kakashi and Sasuke travelled after him.

* * *

From a distance, Haku observed Tazuna's household. Soon, he observed Tazuna leaving the house, Kakashi and Sasuke travelling after him. "It seems Kakashi has detected our presence."

"More specifically, he detected YOUR presence." Zabuza said.

"Forgive me, Zabuza-sama. I-"

"Don't be." Zabuza assured him. "This is exactly how I planned can sense you, but not ME. Now, follow Kakashi; he must continue to detect your presence and not mine. Do not attack them until they reach the bridge; I want them as far away from here as possible."

"Understood." Haku replied. His body slowly became transparent as he disappeared completely.

Even so, Zabuza was not alone; two other ninja were beside him. They seemed to be twins, short, covered in all black and wearing scuba-like masks. Like Haku, they too were his apprentices. However, unlike Haku, their talent was non-existent; it took him forever just to train them to this mediocre level. "Prove your worth to me." He commanded them.

* * *

And that's all for now.

As for some notable changes, I had Sakura get in a fight. In the original, she kicked away someone while escorting Tazuna, but I think it was more in retaliation for sexual harassment (if I remember correctly, someone tried to grope her. Considering that was Part 1...ew). Here, she is not only genuinely defending him but learning a lesson as well. Kakashi in this version wants his students to genuinely grow; he'll put them in danger to a point, but will intervene when it's clear any of his students are in over their heads

The other noticeable change I made is giving Tazuna and Hiruzen a connection. In the original, Tazuna SOMEHOW tricked Hiruzen into letting him pay for a C-class mission. Not only that, but once he found out, Kakashi continued with it, presumably out of the goodness of his heart. Realistically, I'm certain someone of Tazuna's character would have raised some red flags according to the rules set by Kishi (then again, he does have a terrible habit of breaking those rules). Making him and the third friends and the mission more of a favor seemed like a better way for this to go, especially if Tazuna is an individual strapped for cash.

However, this change also had an unintended side-effect: I had to make Sarutobi younger. In this version, Tazuna is 65, and Hiruzen is two years older. Both are old men, but given Tazuna's background, it just didn't feel right to have him working in construction in his mid-80s. I picked his 60s; old, but could be in reasonably good shape to continue.

In the long run, this also meant I will have to make the Sanin younger (think early forties by the time they are introduced).

Another change I made was making Kaiza Inari's biological father. In the original, he was...just some dude who randomly showed up out of nowhere. Nice and all, I guess. In the West, this would very much read "STRANGER DANGER". I guess we can chalk that up to cultural differences (Japan is generally much safer than most of America and Europe), and just thought maybe I should make him family.

One other detail worth talking about was the clause Kakashi mentioned. When you think about it, in a fantasy world based on Feudal Japan, I'd imagine the main political powers would not allow independent villages of mercenaries and assassins to exist unchecked. I think the clause would act as a stopper; the ninja can operate in any manner they have to as long as it's within the parameters of the mission outlined by the client. They can't just fight and kill as they please without dire consequences should they go beyond what the mission allowed them to. As you can see, Naruto is troubled by this limitation, but of course this is going to help him grow up. Not in the same way canon did, where he just seems to accept the system as is, but to understand the challenges he will face and work to find something better.

More changes on the way, but I hope so far they've all proved to be enjoyable to you!


	7. Wave of Assassins-Part 2

Hi again! This took longer than I thought; life has been kicking my ass! Anyway, with this part, things will really be cooking! Enjoy!

* * *

As Kakashi and Sasuke trailed Tazuna on his way to work, Kakashi remained ill at ease. _"Whoever that was I sensed earlier…he's still following us."_ Thankfully, their hunter still hadn't attacked them yet; it seemed he had considered the two Konoha nin problematic, a problem that must be approached with care. However, one could not risk doing nothing in this situation. If he was intending to kill Tazuna, of which Kakashi had no doubt, sooner or later he would strike. They had to launch a counter-attack NOW.

"Sensei." Sasuke whispered, catching onto his teacher's agitation. "I take it we're still being tailed?"

"Hm." Kakashi nodded. "It will be a problem if we drag this on."

Sasuke dug into his shuriken pocket. "Then let's…"

"Hold on." Kakashi warned him, holding the genin's hand. "There's too many people around; we could get innocent people hurt in fighting out here, and, depending on the type of people we offend, could cause an international incident."

Sasuke growled. "So…"

"Allow me." Kakashi assured him. "Watch and learn."

* * *

Haku watched them from afar, planted on a rooftop flat as a rug. As Zabusa predicted, they were going to try to avoid him. Little did they know of the real danger back home…After letting them get a little bit of headway, he moved forward. When he looked above the railing, he found them moving away from the ocean. _"They're avoiding the bridge!"_ That could only mean they were onto him now! Haku quickly ran after them, stealth no longer viable. He then remembered Zabusa's words: " _It won't be long before they try something…when you see them change their routine, you must attack them before they get away with Tazuna! Tigre wants the bridge unharmed!"_ Haku produced what seemed to be acupuncture-like needles from his hands. Quickly, he sprinted across the rooftops and threw them, impaling both Sasuke and Kakashi in the back. The two fell over like logs onto the street. Haku ran over to inspect them. _"That was too easy…"_ As he checked Kakashi for a pulse, his body suddenly vanished in a poof of smoke, Sasuke's doing the same. _"I should have known this wouldn't be that easy…"_

* * *

From inside one of the huts, temporarily vacant of occupants before they broke in, Kakashi carefully peaked at their would-be assassin from the corner of a window. _"He's a kid."_ Kakashi thought with surprise. Couldn't be much older than Sasuke. Yet he exuded power on par with his. _"Still, power does not equal skill."_ He reminded himself.

"What now?" Sasuke asked, crouching in front of Tazuna, the man practically planting himself onto floor, as per their orders.

"Shit." The old man cursed. "I was hoping you would be able to DETER attackers…"

Haku then turned their direction, apparently detecting their presence inside. _"He's good."_ Kakashi thought. _"Good thing I assumed the worst from the get-go…"_ Kakashi put his fingers together, using his chakra to trigger a trap…

* * *

An explosive tag, planted on the opposite hut across the alley, exploded. While Haku was far enough to not be injured, the shock still threw him off balance. While he was vulnerable, Kakashi jumped through the door and attacked. He brought down his kunai, but Haku brought up his needles. They weren't solid enough to block it directly, but using his technique, Haku was able to handle them like chopsticks and redirect him. Kakashi stabilized himself and tried kicking him, but Haku fell back. Quickly, he threw his needles, travelling faster than most average shuriken. Kakashi weaved past them, though one managed to scratch his armor. _"He was aiming for my tekatsu!"_ Kakashi realized. This ninja was a pressure-point specialist! Quickly, Kakashi made five hand signs, ending with the ram, pressing both index and middle fingers together while the other two on one side wrapped the others. "Doton! Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu!" Placing his hand on the street, he caused the rock to rise. Haku cartwheeled away and made hand signs of his own. However, he used only one hand. _"What?"_ Kakashi wondered. Suddenly, the air chilled around him. Kakashi felt ice growing on his Kevlar, threatening to encase him. Quickly, Kakashi jumped onto the roofs. The crystallization stopped, the freezing confined to that immediate area. However, that escape gave Haku the opening he needed. "Sasuke!"

As Haku went to enter their hiding place, he fell back as a large fireball flew towards him, Sasuke standing between him and Tazuna. "You want him, you'll have to get through me!"

"That can be arranged." Haku said. Quickly, Haku caused the water in the puddles around him to rise, and solidify, becoming pin-point needles.

The needles shot towards him, but Sasuke was ready, quickly making the sings of the snake, the rat, and then the tiger. Instead of breathing fire, he fired shuriken, but this time it was the weapons themselves on fire! "Katon! Hosenka no Jutsu!" The flammable shuriken evaporated the needles, but Haku remained unharmed as he formed an ice barrier in front of him.

Haku had no room to breathe, as Kakashi rushed forward to kick him. Haku jumped back, but it was close; he felt his mask get scratched. Kakashi quickly pulled out a kunai to finish him…and it seemed he hit the mark, his hand going right through the ninja's chest. However, the body quickly turned ice-cold, and it felt like glass was cutting into his hand. _"A clone!?"_ Indeed, Haku formed an ice clone right before the kunai impaled him and made a bee-line for Tazuna. Kakashi tried to pull away, but his hand was stuck! The ice-clone wasn't just a distraction, it was a trap! He could break out in a second, but that was all the assassin needed to take out his target.

Sasuke rushed forward with his own kunai trying to cut him, but Haku simply jumped over his shoulder and straight into Tazuna. After that, there was nothing that could protect him…

* * *

"Aw man, this sucks." Naruto huffed as he explored the rooms of the small house.

"We have our orders." Sakura sighed. Secretly, though, she was bored as he was. _"Okay, Sasuke-kun is good."_ Another part of her thought. _"But surely he's not THAT good. I could help too!"_ It seemed this would be another uneventful day; for all the talk Tazuna told them about the wrath of Gato, no one attacked the family in their own home as of yet. Sure, there was that Yakuza incident, but that was an outlier! Sakura sighed again. She then looked to the window in front of the sink, where Tsunami was doing the dishes. And Sakura caught a very slight reflection. It was very faint, almost transparent. But Sakura definitely saw what seemed to be a metallic weapon! "TSUNAMI-DONO!" Sakura shouted as she rushed towards her. "GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!"

Tsunami looked at her, and it was at that moment something burst through the window. Sakura tackled her and got her away in time. She quickly got up and dragged her away. "NARUTO! GET INARI!"

Naruto reacted and ran upstairs. Upon reaching his bedroom, Naruto simply kicked it down. "What the hell, you jerk!?" Inari yelled, clearly planning to sleep in. Naruto saw the figure about to swing into the window. Miraculously, Naruto reacted in time and threw his shuriken at the would-be assailant. As the would-be assassin blocked the shuriken upon entry, Naruto used the distraction to roughly grab Inari by the wrist and pulled him away.

Seeing his first chance was missed, the assassin hissed and jumped back out the window.

* * *

The two ninja dragged the mother and son into the street. They would later learn dragging clients out in the open was generally not a good tactic, but in this desperate situation the beginners simply went with the simplest option. "What were those!?" Naruto asked. He tried not to show it, but that thing scared him to death! He didn't even recognize it as a person!

They kept running, when Sakura spotted a puddle. Remembering the weather from the past week, she remembered that it hadn't rained in days. Why would there be one in the street? Sakura's eyes widened in realization, as she held her arm out. "WAIT!" They stopped, when suddenly something very sharp erupted from out of the puddle.

The two fell back. Naruto saw some strands of his blond hair float to the ground, as a large man with an even larger sword stood in front of them. "Impressive." Zabuza noted. "You caught my trap. Very observant." Twirling his blade like it was nothing, he added "Too bad for you, that's the only compliment I can give you."

Naruto growled. "Well, if we're so unworthy, what are you waiting for!?"

"Oh, it's BECAUSE you're unworthy that I'm just here to observe." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the two assassins from before reappeared. They were covered in black wetsuits, wore snorkel masks and had clawed gauntlets on their left and right hand respectively. Quickly, they linked themselves together with a chain and wrapped the mother and son in it. "That's why I'm leaving it to them." Zabuza said.

* * *

Haku closed in on Tazuna and shoved a needle into his heart. "Apologies." Haku said. "I hope you find peace in the afterlife." Tazuna suddenly flickered. "What the-?" Tazuna's shape then turned into Kakashi's. Haku retreated as the clone exploded, sending Haku flying back out into the open.

By then, Kakashi broke his hand free from the ice clone. "You're strong. Very strong." Kakashi complimented him. "But regardless, we will never allow you to get to Tazuna."

Haku huffed as he brushed his kimono of. "Perhaps not yet. Still, I think it's cruel."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke questioned, pulling out a kunai.

"Allowing the old man to live…when his family is probably on the other side by now."

Kakashi's eye widened. _"He wasn't alone!"_ It hit Kakashi like a ton of bricks! Haku had used his chakra to mask that of his master's! It wasn't an uncommon technique, but for someone of this boy's age to accomplish it-! _"How could I have been so stupid!?"_ He should have realized it the instant he saw him.

"Bastard!" Sasuke charged as he brought his kunai down, going for a head-stab. However, his body disintegrated into snow, the assassin long gone now. "Damn it!"

Kakashi ran back into the hut, opening a shoji door to the closet. The real Tazuna, having heard everything, rushed out. "MY FAMILY! I'VE GOT TO-!"

"We'll take you there!" Kakashi grabbed him by the arm as he leaped onto the rooftops, Sasuke closely following after them.

Though they were going faster than Tazuna thought was possible for humans, he had a lingering doubt they would get there in time. "If anything happens to them-!"

"We'll make it! You have my word!" As he said that, Kakashi's eyes widened at the path ahead of him. For a moment, he could have sworn that he saw two kids, one with brown hair and purple stripes across her cheeks, and a boy with ski-goggles and spiky black hair.

"Sensei! What's wrong!?" Sasuke shouted from behind.

Kakashi shook his face, their images fading. "It's nothing! Hurry!"

* * *

"Leave them alone!" Sakura raced forward and cut the chain with a kunai, her aim on point. Naruto put his hands together as his clones distracted the two brothers and hurried to get the family away from the assassins. "Incompetents!" Zabuza made a few hand signs, and water suddenly sliced the clones protecting the mother and son apart. The assassin then stood in their way, threatening them with his sword. Tsunami hugged Inari in close. "Your old man is on the other side by now. Normally, I'd finish you here…" He then looked up at his apprentices fighting the other two. "…but I feel I should evaluate these two first." Bringing his giant sword down close to them, he said "Watch as your so-called protectors fail you."

The two assassins clashed claws with blades against Naruto and Sakura, neither of the two genin doing well. Naruto was caught completely off guard when his opponent kicked him in the stomach and swiped his kunai out of his hand. Naruto fell flat on his back, his opponent eying him. Naruto suddenly felt himself tremble. He faced off against Mizuki; that should have been enough to make fighting others easier. But this felt different; it was like the assassin in front of him was pushing some kind of negative energy at him. Naruto just FELT death was certain. _"Move!"_ His body would not move, as if completely paralyzed.

Zabuza smirked, sensing what was going on. "A very common technique from my home village, to project your chakra forward to intimidate your opponent. Against amateurs, it can completely paralyze them. It just means this boy had no business being a ninja."

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she blocked another swipe from her opponent. "Make your clones, we'll shield everyone!" Sakura saw Naruto wasn't moving. "NARUTO!"

Finally, the black assassin opened his claws and prepared to skewer the blond. At that point, Naruto just gave up. The assassin lunged forward…and Naruto suddenly felt himself tackled away. The paralyzing fear that had gripped him suddenly ebbed away, and he saw Sakura on top of him. "S-Sakura?"

Sakura hissed; it was clear she was hurt bad, taking the claws meant for him to her back. Getting up, she yelled "Baka! Get it together! We have to-"Sakura stopped midsentence, her body beginning to tremble. Her eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head as she collapsed on Naruto.

"Sakura? Sakura!" Naruto tried to wake her, but she was unresponsive. That was when Naruto noticed the scratches on her back; they weren't deep, but he noticed something purplish at the edges of the scratches.

"Their claws are coated with a specially home-made poison. Most victims fall into unconsciousness within seconds; it only takes slightly longer for them to die." Zabuza bragged. Tsunami and Inari shook in terror as they felt their own doom being certain.

Naruto crawled out from under her, as the two assassins slowly closed in on him, silently debating the best way to kill him. However, he didn't see them, only the girl before him. His mind then went back to Iruka, back during the incident he was taken hostage. Just like before, he was helpless to protect himself, so someone else had to fight for him. _"She protected me-! All because I was too scared to do anything!"_ Naruto tightly gripped her hand. _"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"_

"Enough!" Zabuza yelled. "Finish the boy and leave the girl to suffer! I will finish these two after!" The two assassins leaped towards Naruto…and felt themselves pushed back by some unseen force.

"What!?" Zabuza thought, also feeling that spike. _"This chakra…this dread…I've never felt anything like this…!"_

Naruto stood as he released Sakura, then turned his head up to stare at the assassins right in the eye, showing the beginning of some sort of transformation. His teeth elongated into fangs and his eyes turned red. The two assassins took a step back…and seemingly at the speed of light, Naruto was upon one, punching him square in the face. The dark assassin was sent careening into a building, and into the building after that. His brother finally got over his fear and made for a slash at Naruto. Naruto grabbed the claws with both hands, and twisted his arm, the bone giving an audible snap. "AHHH!" Naruto threw him down onto the ground and punched him hard enough to leave an indentation in the earth. Releasing him, it was clear his hands were cut, but the wounds sealed up immediately. The poison clearly had no effect on him in this state.

Zabuza was so entranced by what he saw, he did not notice Tsunami grab Inari and run away from their captor. Though the assassin refused to show it, he felt his hand tremble. Naruto then stared at him with his red eyes. _"What is this chakra!? How can he possess more power than even Haku!?"_

" **I hope you're happy…"** Naruto growled, his voice becoming deeper and echoing. **"…because now, I'm coming for you!"**

* * *

Kakashi also felt it; they were getting close to Tazuna's home, but Kakashi had little doubt he would have been able to feel this chakra well on the other side of the island if they were that far! _"No-! It's already begun!?"_ "Hurry, Sasuke! We're almost there!" Kakashi picked up the pace, and now, he wasn't sure who he should be more concerned for: Naruto, or the assassin?

* * *

Naruto suddenly charged at Zabuza on all fours, the motion surprising the seasoned ninja. On reflex, he swung his giant sword. Under normal circumstances, this would have bifurcated the genin for sure. However, Naruto slammed his palm down on the side of the blade, burying it in the earth. Zabuza quickly got ready for taijutsu, certain he could match him in technique if not strength. Indeed, he easily landed a powerful punch across Naruto's face, but the boy didn't seem to feel it. Instead, he grabbed hold of his arm and threw him clear over his head. Zabuza was taken completely by surprise, he couldn't even land on his feet as he rolled across the dirt. "Uhh…" Zabuza was certain he broke the boy's jaw! Yet the boy looked more angry than hurt! Naruto ran at him again. Quickly, Zabuza made the sign of the ram, the snake, and then the dragon. "Suiton! Suikabe no Jutsu!" A wall of water rose in front of Zabuza before Naruto could reach him. Naruto's fist made quite a dent in the barrier, but he ultimately couldn't puncture it. It was enough for Zabuza to roll out of the way and put some space between them.

He quickly thought of the nature of this power…and, after thinking back to Konoha's known history to the outside world, came to one conclusion. _"Of course!"_ he thought. _"A Biju can't be defeated so easily! Not without a container-!"_ Zabuza sneered nervously under his mask. "I never thought I would meet such an individual on the battlefield!" Naruto stared at Zabuza, preparing for another attack. _"I've only one chance to turn this around!"_ Zabuza unleashed needles in his hand. Naruto made a slashing motion at him like a lion, but Zabuza flipped over him, and quickly jammed a needle into the right side of his neck. Naruto stumbled, dazed at the impact. _"That would have paralyzed a normal person!"_ Zabuza stared in awe. "I'll have to strike all his points!" Naruto charged at him as he stood on two legs again, slower than before. This time, Zabuza struck him directly, hitting Naruto in the other side of the neck, up in the arm, two between his hips…and finally one to the right of his heart. Looking like he was wrestling with a porcupine, Naruto was shaking as he struggled to stand. His fangs receded, and his red eyes became blue again. Finally, Naruto fell onto his arms, the boy breathing heavily as if he had gone through one of Kakashi's training sessions.

Zabuza quickly eyed his sword. He then noticed the woman and her son were out of his sight! "Idiot!" he cursed himself. "I should have finished them when I had the chance!" Grabbing the Kurobuchi by the handle, he lifted it. "Still, I should take care of the problem in front of me here and now; I can hunt those two down with ease afterwords." Zabuza raised the sword, and brought it down, only for Kakashi to stand in front of Naruto and block the blade with a single kunai.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto stuttered. Sasuke then jumped to his side, pulling a needle out. "OW!"

"Hold still!" Sasuke shouted, pulling the other one out.

"Ah, Hatake Kakashi. We meet at last. A pleasure." Zabuza said.

"I can't say the same, Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi answered back.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto breathed. "Sakura-chan…"

Quickly, Kakashi reached into a patch and tossed them a vial. "Make her drink it. It's a universal antidote; it should work on almost anything. Now hurry!" Zabuza finally managed to push Kakashi to the side, but he remained out of the blade's reach, and engaged him again.

While Naruto was rushing to Sakura's side, Sasuke looked back at Kakashi. To block that monster of a sword with a small piece of steel…his teacher's strength must have been incredible! And despite that, he did not yet draw his sword... "Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted as he turned her over. "Wake up!"

Naruto pulled out the vial as he tried to unscrew it…and the vial slipped out his hand. Both Sasuke and Naruto expressed a panicked look, as Naruto fumbled with the vial, practically juggling it, before Sasuke caught it. "Give it over here, you idiot!" Sasuke shouted. Supporting her head, he popped open the vial as he emptied its contents into Sakura's mouth.

After a tense few seconds, Sakura groaned, and opened her eyes. Despite the glassy look of her eyes, she could still see, as Sasuke looked over her. "Sasuke-kun…" she groaned. Her eyes closed again.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto panicked.

"Relax." Sasuke assured him as he felt her pulse. "She's stabilizing. She's going to be fine." Looking up at Naruto, he noticed his fists were clenched. "What now, dobe?"

"It's my fault!" Naruto chocked. "I froze, and she nearly got killed because of it-!"

Sasuke got up and forced Naruto to stand. "Are you going to let it happen again?"

Naruto looked at Sakura's sleeping form, and back to Kakashi and Zabuza dueling. Looking back to Sasuke, he said "Never again."

"Then you have your answer." Sasuke said.

They turned back to the two jonin-level ninja dueling, kunai vs freakn' large sword. "Kakashi-sensei's got him on the ropes!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. Given the difference of weapons, it seemed impressive to him that Kakashi could keep that large hunk of metal at bay. Looking to Sasuke's stoic face, he asked "Right?"

"If anything, it's the other way around." Sasuke answered. "He's good, but so is the other guy. And he has the better weapon."

"Most impressive, Hatake!" Zabuza shouted as he swung his sword, Kakashi blocking with the kunai. "Impressive…yet disappointing." Zabuza pushed forward, forcing Kakashi to let his arms bend as the blade came dangerously close to his neck. "It seems you have a fine sword there on your back. Why don't you use it?" Kakashi's visible eye only squinted. "It was your father's wasn't it?" Zabuza hissed. That seemed to have struck a nerve with Kakashi, as his body tensed. "Ah, yes. It must have been fun to be the son of the famous White Fang…until that mission, anyway!"

Kakashi seemed to have lost it, as he suddenly head-butted Zabuza in the face, putting distance between them. While the assassin was stunned, Kakashi jumped to the air and kicked him in the sternum, knocking him over. Before he could launch a third attack, Zabuza threw a sharp shuriken at him. Though Kakashi dodged, that moment as all Zabuza needed. Turning his sword the other way, he rammed the hilt of his weapon into Kakashi's solar plexus. While he lurched forward, Zabuza quickly landed a right cross against him. As Kakashi rolled away, he threw a smoke bomb on the ground. The smoke stung Zabuza's eyes as his opponent disappeared from view. "Katon! Goukakyu no Jutsu!" A fireball erupted from Zabuza's left, the mist ninja being forced to dodge. As he got up on one knee, he saw the smoke fading. However, Kakashi was already upon him from behind, impaling him in the back of the neck. At first, it felt like that was the end of the fight.

However, the body quickly softened. Suddenly, Zabuza's body splashed onto the ground in a puddle of water. "A Mizu Bushin!?"

Zabuza then erupted from the same puddle on the ground, his sword cocked back. "Kakashi-sensei, look out!" Naruto shouted.

Zabuza swung…and found his mark. Or so it seemed. Kakashi shot his head back at the last minute, and all Zabuza cut up was the cloth protecting his left eye. As Zabuza stared at him intently, he swung his sword back. It was a strike certain to find its mark this time around…and yet, Kakashi dodged it seamlessly as he rolled on his side. While Zabuza completed the arc, Kakashi shot back with a punch to his opponent's gut and a low kick to the knee, causing Zabuza to stumble. "That was close." Kakashi panted, holding his left eye. "Okay. I was hoping not to use this until the last minute. But you're good. I guess there's no point in holding it back now…"

Zabuza's eyes widened as he stared at Kakashi's second eye. A scar ran down his eye; judging by how deep the cut was, surely it would have destroyed the eye! Kakashi did indeed have an eye inside his socket, but it did not match the other one. The iris was bright red, and inside three tomoes surrounded the pupil. _"That's…"_

"Zabuza, allow me to introduce you to the eye that gave birth to Konoha's most famous dojutsu techniques…the Sharingan!" Kakashi announced. "And with it, I foresee…your death!"

* * *

And there you have it! The premier of the Sharingan!

I hope you enjoyed the callbacks and subtle changes here! I thought having someone on Team 7 getting hurt when Naruto freezes up would help his resolve later in the future, since in the original it was more his own ego that drove him afterwards (though not in a bad way).

If there's one thing I'm not proud of in this chapter, it was Zabuza letting Tsunami and Inari live. I tried to think of other ways for this to go down, but unfortunately what you've got is the best excuse I could think of. If anyone else has a better idea, I'd love to hear it (that's not sarcasm).

So, I will see you all next time!


	8. Sharingan Kakashi-Part 1

Hey everyone! Hope you're ready for another chapter! They're going to get shorter from here on out, but at least updates (should) be quicker! Enjoy!

* * *

Zabuza looked at the red eye on Kakashi's left. He had heard tales of this eye, but this was his first time seeing it in person. "A sharingan? Are you an…Uchiha?" Kakashi said nothing as he simply stared back. "No, of course not. And that scar…" Underneath his bandaged mask, he sneered. "Ah, I see. An implant."

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke watched from afar as they listened in on them. "A sharing gan?" Naruto mispronounced what he heard. "What is that?" he asked.

"Sh!" Sasuke shushed him. Naruto just pouted as he turned his attention back to the battle. Sasuke needed the quiet to think. _"He has a sharingan too? How?"_ Sasuke thought. Kakashi was a teenager when he was a kid…was anything said about him? He tried to keep track, but his father never mentioned him. Were they related? No, he was sure he would have mentioned it, even with Kakashi being as secretive as he was. _"How does he have one?"_

"Well, I think I've let you ponder enough." Kakashi said, flipping his kunai to a more offensive position. "Shall we begin round 2?"

"Agreed." Without warning, Zabuza spun at full speed without any need to accelerate, and cleaved Kakashi in half. When the top half landed, instead of a thud, Zabusa saw a splash on the ground. "A mizu bushin!?" Kakashi then burst forth from the pond as he jammed his kunai at Zabuza. "Ugh!" Though he didn't land a deadly blow, he managed to cut Zabusa's bandaged mask and lips. Zabuza jumped back before any permanent damage was done. He looked at Kakashi with an enraged look as he licked his lips. "I will make you pay for that, Hatake!" With blinding speed, Zabuza charged once more.

* * *

From afar, Haku landed on a roof as he finally found his way back to Zabuza. Far enough from the action so he wouldn't be spotted, but close enough to see the battle, and intervene in time if the battle did not go Zabuza's way. "Be careful, Zabuza-sama…"

* * *

Zabuza tightly gripped the hilt as he spun the blade rapidly in a circular motion. The path was predictable, but the speed surprised Kakashi. Even as he jumped back, the blade still managed to cut his shoulder. "Ngh!"

Kakashi reached into a pouch and threw his shuriken. Zabuza quickly blocked with the broad side of his blade, the projectiles bouncing off harmlessly. Kakashi then jumped onto the flat as he used it to flip over his opponent, and hit him in the back of the head with an elbow. "Unh!"

Though Zabuza stumbled, he buried the sword and spun around the hilt, nailing Kakashi square in the kidney with a powerful thrust kick. "Ngh!" Kakashi tumbled across the ground, before finally stopping a good 15 meters away from him. He got up on one knee, holding his stomach. _"His strength…incredible!"_ Inside, Kakashi kicked himself for not realizing this sooner. To wield a blade like that, one would have to be insanely strong, both in the upper and lower body! Just swinging that blade would have torn the arms off any ordinary person even if they managed to lift it. Kakashi looked up to see Zabuza leap forward with his arm cocked back in a punch. Kakashi quickly rolled out of the way as the punch went through the ground where he just was.

Zabuza pulled it out as he pursued the silver ninja, but slowed when his foot landed on caltrops. "Nnh!" Zabuza worked through the pain as he kicked the caltrops off his feet. Once more, the swordsman swung his blade at Kakashi. Though Kakashi managed to dodge every strike, this was by no means easy. The mist swordsman was able to wield it as easily as a katana; if Kakashi made a misstep, he would be done!

When he made a jump back, Zabuza thrust his blade forward again. _"Another thrust?"_ Kakashi simply moved back…and the blade cut his shoulder again. "Agh!" The blade seemed to cut deeper as he felt his right arm began to lose strength. Kakashi looked at the blade. Before, it was shaped like an over-sized butcher knife. Now, it seemed to have grown a saw-like edge, extending it's reach by a good 5 centimeters. _"Did it change shape?"_

Zabuza turned the blade and swung, but Kakashi was ready as he held up his kunai to block the blade. Despite the ridiculous size difference between the two weapons, the kunai held, and Kakashi used the same technique he taught his students to plant his feet on the ground and not move. "You like my blade's special ability?" Zabuza asked.

"I take it this stick you call a sword wasn't always this big?"

"Indeed." Zabuza sneered. "Kubikiribocho has the ability to absorb the iron from one's blood and add it to the mass of the blade." Zabuza pressed forward, causing Kakashi to lose his footing. "As you can see, I've killed A LOT of people to make it this big."

Kakashi sneered back under his mask. "Why do I have a feeling this is also a parallel for Zabuza Jr?" Zabuza growled as he made another push. Kakashi went with the flow of his energy as he flipped over him, releasing a piece of paper in front of the assassin's face. Zabuza's eyes widened, and raised the flat of his blade to shield his face as an explosion suddenly went off in front of him.

* * *

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed in awe at what he saw. "Did Kakashi light that thing on fire!?"

"Idiot." Sasuke sighed. "That was an explosive tag."

"What!?" Naruto shouted. "They have such things!?"

"Explosive tags are linked to a person's chakra." Sasuke explained. "The link is created when you rub your bare hands against it and apply your chakra to it. In battle, you then spike the energy inside you, and the paper will combust." Sasuke looked back to the battle. "They're generally more effective in combination with other weapons, but it seems he didn't have time to attach it." He noted.

* * *

Indeed, Zabuza was fine, the blast only serving to have delayed him. Suddenly, Zabuza jammed his sword into the earth as he made his signs: The Ram, The Snake, and finally the Dragon. "Suiton! Suisei Kazan no Jutsu!" Zabusa gripped the hilt again as he pushed it forward, and water exploded out of the earth.

The geysers hit Kakashi head on. "Ah!" The Konoha-nin rolled across the earth. When he stopped, he took a whiff of the water. "Ugh. You had to make use of the sewer water below." Most Suiton Jutsus required a pre-existing source of water to use them, and now in addition to feeling bruised all over, he stunk as well.

Zabuza stood by the crack as he prepared his next move. "Suiton!-"

"Suiton-!"

"Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

"Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Two water dragons erupted from the earth and collided with one another. The two ninja just stared at one another as the water rained down between them. "Hn. I'm seeing why you are called the Copy ninja."

"You haven't seen anything yet."

The two charged at each other, slamming their arms into one another, Kakashi jamming up Zabuza to keep him from using his sword. Quickly, Kakashi kicked at Zabusa's fingers. "Agh!" On reflex, he let go of the blade. Kakashi immediately followed through with a spinning kick, knocking the blade far from him. Zabuza knew he wouldn't be able to easily retrieve it now. "I don't need my sword to kill you!" Zabusa pulled a curved knife and made a crescent strike towards Kakashi, who made the same movement with his own kunai as they collided. Zabusa made a strike with his free hand, Kakashi did the same. The EXACT same thing. Zabuza narrowed his eyes in irritation. _"Is he copying me in real time!?"_ Zabusa made several more strikes, and Kakashi did the same ones. "QUIT COPYING ME, COWARD!"

"QUIT COPYING ME, COWARD!" Kakashi perfectly copied Zabusa's speech at the same time. The whole thing unnerved the assassin. At that moment, Kakashi shot an open-handed strike to his sternum, causing Zabusa to skid away.

Steading himself, he growled. "So, it seems you are not quite LITERALLY copying my every move. I suppose that's something in my favor." Zabuza then cut his thumb.

" _He's going to summon!?"_ Kakashi thought. For a ninja on their level, this was not uncommon. Still, what exactly was he going to summon? There were some animals his dogs couldn't handle; he didn't want to summon them unless he was sure they could win.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Zabusa shouted as he planted his hand on the ground. "Teppoumizu!" The puff of smoke occurred, but instead of an animal, a torrent of water flooded the town.

* * *

"What the-!?" Naruto felt himself being swept off his feet as the water began to flood the entire block. For a moment, he was under, but despite the undertow, he managed to breach the surface and take in a lungful of air. Looking around him, he saw Sakura's prone form floating down the current. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto never swam in his life, but somehow through both determination and desperation, he managed to doggy-paddle towards her. Lifting her by the stomach, he made sure to keep her head above water.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called from atop a roof as he reached for him. "Take my hand!"

Ignoring his pride, Naruto grabbed his rival's hand as Sasuke lifted them both up. "What the heck happened!?" Naruto asked.

"I think Zabuza summoned this torrent of water!"

"He can do that!?"

"Would you like to ask him yourself?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

The two looked back to the two jonin fighting. Somehow, the two were literally WALKING on the water. "You know that move?" Naruto asked in shock.

"I know OF IT." Sasuke said. "I just don't know HOW to do it."

Naruto looked at the flooding water. It must have been at least 2 and a half meters deep! "Well, that certainly helps a lot… "

* * *

Zabuza sliced his sword again, as Kakashi dodged. "I see. You summoned water to give yourself the advantage." The copy ninja surmised.

"But of course!" Zabuza made his signs again, beginning with the bird, the rat, and once more ending with the dragon. "Suiton! Daibakufu no Jutsu!" A vortex of water exploded towards Kakashi. It seemed to hit him dead center, but Zabuza saw he countered with one of his own. "Ngh!" Zabuza growled. "Even now, you still insist on copying me! It seems that's all you're good for."

"Oh, I have other tricks." Kakashi said. "Still, you have a point. Right now, all I'm doing is keeping you at bay. I think it's time we wrapped this up."

"I agree." Quickly, Zabuza made his hand signs, the Ram, the Bird, and the Dragon. "Suiton! Shin Kaho no Jutsu!" The water began to extend at points, like spikes. It seemed they really were sharp, as Kakashi weaved around them like his life depended on it and slid towards Zabusa like he was skating on ice. Using the momentum, he launched a flying kick at Zabuza, aiming for his head. Of course, the assassin blocked. Kakashi landed and launched another hand strike, Zabuza blocking again and taking a swing at him. Kakashi bent down, avoiding the blade by a mere hair. Kakashi then twisted and kicked his opponent in the kidney. "Agh!"

Zabuza retaliated with a knee to the stomach. "Urkh!" Zabuza followed with another, but Kakashi blocked with his hands and engaged him once more.

Zabuza tried to take another slice at him, but Kakashi kicked down on the hilt, blocking it. Kakashi quickly reached into his armor, and pulled out what seemed to be a smoke bomb that he threw into his opponent's eyes. "AGH!"

* * *

"He threw a smoke bomb at his face?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. "I thought those were supposed to be used for escape!"

"No." Sasuke answered. "That was a black egg."

"He threw his breakfast at him?"

Sasuke just palmed his face in response. Taking a deep breath, he explained. "A Black Egg is an egg that has been drained of it's yolk, and through the hole that was drilled, different materials are put in it's place." He explained. "The most common type are the ones filled with glass, and since he aimed for the eyes, I'm guessing that's what he used."

Naruto looked back to the fight as he processed what Sasuke told him. When the realization hit him, he winced.

* * *

Haku continued to look on from his perch. He then gripped a long sebon needle from his side. He was about to jump in, when he remembered something Zabuza told him when the swordsman began bringing him out in the field.

" _Remember Haku, if I choose to fight alone, do not interfere until my loss looks certain."_

Haku sighed as he lowered his weapon. If he waited too long, he feared he wouldn't make it in time. "Zabuza-sama…please…" he pleaded to himself.

* * *

Indeed, Zabuza stumbled as he struggled to get the glass out of his eyes and see again. At this point, Kakashi wasted no more time, and jammed his kunai into his heart. Zabuza's eyes widened as his body went stiff, then limp as he slumped towards him. Kakashi smirked under his mask. Suddenly, Zabuza's body melted into water. _"It was another clone!?"_ Kakashi thought. The masked ninja jumped away as he sensed the blade jutting out of the water behind him. It managed to get the skin right down the middle, but nonetheless the damage was only superficial as he rolled away without a problem.

"Did you think I summoned all this water just to inconvenience you?" Zabuza said as he rose from the water and slung his sword over his shoulder. "The more water there is, the less chakra necessary to create Mizu Bushins. I've got enough for several others." Kakashi prepared to fling more shuriken at him, when Zabuza suddenly rose behind him again. "Such as that one!" Zabusa made the sign of the dog, the monkey, and finally, the dragon. "Suiton! Suiro no Jutsu!" The water around Kakashi surrounded him, and encapsulated him like a bubble. Kakashi tried to struggle against it, but the water held.

"The water pressure is much stronger than you would think." Zabuza said as he stretched his arms out. "As much as I would like to finish you now, chances are you'll counter anything else I throw at you. This is my best chance to finish you!" Kakashi continued struggling in vain, pressing his kunai against the barrier.

* * *

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed. "That's it! It's over!"

"Can't Kakashi break out of that thing!?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded. "No. He's trying." They then saw Zabuza's clone approach them, walking across the water. Both genin got ready to make a break for it before the clone stopped.

Naruto blinked. "What is it? Why'd he stop?"

"He's guarding them." Sasuke replied. "I'm guessing Zabuza needs to focus all his concentration on the bubble. If he takes his arms away, it's integrity will collapse. This Mizu Bushin is here to ensure that neither of us can make that happen."

"And why doesn't the clone just come over here and cleave us now?" Naruto asked.

"I'm guessing that's as far as it can go." Sasuke replied. "But it's skills are equal to that of the original. Even if we manage to land a blow on it, he is sure to cleave both of us in two before it dissolves."

Naruto looked back to Kakashi, still struggling. Even from their distance, he could tell Kakashi's movements were getting slower. "How long do you think he has?"

"The average person can't hold their breath for more than a minute." Sasuke replied grimly. "For someone of our sensei's caliber, I'm predicting maybe 3 minutes at best."

Naruto then looked back across the flood. He saw Tazuna on the roof of another building, hugging his family. He then looked to Sakura next to him, still unconscious. _"And once Kakashi's out of the way…there'll be nothing to stop him from killing them."_ Naruto then looked to Sasuke. "We need to attack."

"It's suicide!" Sasuke shouted. "We can't fight him!"

"We're not going to fight him." Naruto said as he clenched his fists. "We're going to free Kakashi sensei!"

* * *

And that will be all for now. There's not too much different in this version from the original, but it's necessary to get to where we're going next. See you all again soon!


End file.
